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About Google Book Search Google's mission is to organize the world's information and to make it universally accessible and useful. Google Book Search helps readers discover the world's books while helping authors and publishers reach new audiences. You can search through the full text of this book on the web at |http : //books . google . com/| on its voyage of existence with the hope that it may be composed of timber of a character to withstand the storms of criticism, the rocks of incompetence, the shoals of insufficiency and the ice and calms of indifference. S. H. CLAY, Lrangton, Kentucky. March 1913. CONTENTS Chapter 1. — ^Thb Commercial Organization. I. The duty of the commercial organization. II. Approved methods of organization. III. The Commercial Secretary. IV. How to keep the organization alive to its best work. V. How to increase the membership by the short term campaign. IV. How to increase the membership by other plans. Qiapter 2. — Publicity. I. The value of and how to secure local publicity. II. The personal letter campaign to prospective citizens. III. Booklets and folders. IV. Special publicity. Post card day, display advertising, challenge, contests for slogans, etc. V. The news bureau — how to organize and conduct it VI. How to finance the publicity fund. Chapter 3. — Location of Industries. I. How to interest prospective industries in your city. II. How to judge a good industry from a bad one. III. How to locate industries by the Development Company plan. IV. How to locate industries by the Credit plan. V. How to locate industries by the Town Lot plan. VI. How to locate small industries by the incubator plan. Qiapter 4. — Conventions. I. The value of conventions for advertising your city. II. Special publicity. III. How to secure conventions by letter campaigns. IV. How to secure conventions by personal campaigns. V. How to organize and finance a convention bureau. VI. How to entertain conventions. Chapter 5. — Extension of Retail Trade. I. How to conduct a shooping carnival. II. How to conduct a refund of fare campaign. III. The efficacy of co-operative advertising in new territory. IV. Celebrations, pageants and similar shows are good trade getters. V. Souvenir days make people buy. VI. Trains are packed on inbound-excursion days. Chapter 6. — Extension of Wholesale Trade. I. How to conduct trade excursions. II. How to organize and conduct credit associatiaons. III. How to increase market by advertising in new territory. rV. How to secure more wholesale houses for market V, The relation of the wholesale interests to the railroads. VI. How to secure increased trade by buyer's excursions. Qiapter 7. — Street Building and Cleaning. I. Educational campaign for better streets. II. Materials for building improved streets. III. How to build streets under Ae Ten Year Plan. IV. How to build streets under bond issues. V. Plans for cleaning streets. VI. Ordinances which assist in securing cleaner streets. Ouster 8. — Transportation. I. How to secure concessions from the railroads. II. How to organize a Traffic Bureau. III. How to ad j just freight rates with the Traffic Bureau. IV. How to manage the freight audit department V. How to prepare complaints. » VI. The Short Term Investigation. Ghapter 9.— The City Beautiful. I. Parks. II. Playgrounds. III. Ornamentation. IV. Street lighting. V, Bill board elimination. VI. Clean-up-days. Qiapter 10.— Education. I. Duty of your commercial organization to the schools. II. The Small School Board . III. How to advertise your city through the schools. IV. The effect of the schools upon the City BeautifuL V. The relation of the schools to the industrial interests of the city. VI. Practical Education. Qiapter 11. — Government By Commission. I. How the plan orginated and its present status. II. Wihat is Government by Commission. III. What has it accomplished. IV. The first steps to secure it. V. The essentials of the charter. VI. How to secure it for your city. Qiapter 12. — Good Roads. I. The importance of good roads to a community. II. An educational campaign for better roads. III. Where good roads are found. IV. Some National Highways. V. Approved methods of building improved roads. VI. How to finance construction of improved roads. Cbapter 13. — Agriculture. I. Back to the farm movement II. The municipal market. IIL Special publicity. IV. How to organize a Grower's Association. V. The improvement of present day farm life over old dajrs. VI. Colonization method of upbuilding farming communities. The Commercial Organization CHAPTER 1. THE COMMERCIAL ORGANIZATION The Duty of the Commercial Organization. Why should a city have a commercial organization? Because if it lives up to its duties, it will be the most potent force in the community for progress. Its duties are to do anything and everything necessary for and incident to the up- building and the better building of the city and its environs. Its duty is not only to make a city grow but also to make it a better, a more sanitary, a prettier and more enjoyable place in which to live. Its province or field of work reaches out into every branch and takes cog- nizance of every phase of the city's life. The commercial interests, wholesale, retail, and manufacturing; the professional interests; the government of city, county and state, the social side of the cit/s life where it touches the question of public morals and health ; all of these and in truth every channel of activity comes under its practical eye. The commercial organization has a first duty in that it must bring all of the elements of the entire community, county as well as city, together into one compact body working for the uplift of the community. It must teach the indi- viduals composing these elements the lesson of achievement through co-opera- tion. It must arouse the citizenry from the old time lethargy to a quicjcefced interest, and always and everywhere preach the gospel of sane, safe and sound development, unselfishness, public-spiritedness and civic pride. Its motto must be, "If it's good for the community, then let us have it." What helps the city as a whole, has a like beneficial effect upon everyone within its boundaries. Not only the business and professional men make good "boosters," but also the young men. the clerks in the stores, the women both in the house and in the office or store, and the children in the schools. It is the duty of the com- mercial organization to so spread its propaganda of development as to obtain the efficient aid of all these forces. Many organizations secure much of their force and power from their women's auxilliaries. In campaigns for sanitation and beauty their help is incalculable. The commercial organization has a duty toward the city government which it cannot afford to overlook in spite of the howls of the politician who knows his power is on the decline when the business interests cast their microscopic eyes of investigation upon his maneuvers. Every effort should be made to work with the administration in an amicable way, but if this is not possible, it is the duty of the commercial organization to continue to interest itself in the affairs of the city government. The civic body has this right because its members are the heavy taxpayers, its business men make the city habitable. No city could run without them. They are vital and so, being vital, they have the first moral right to speak in the control and management of the city affairs. Omaha has a Municipal Affairs Committee which meets on the same day as the City Council. They consider all proposed measures pending and give their recommendations concerning them. It is the civic body's duty to interest itself in all legislative matters which may have an effect upon the city. The astute ability and acumen of the business mind is necessary for the successful handling of such questions as taxation. It 10 City Building needs a business head to work out the intricacies of financing g^'cat public im- provements. The imselfish democracy of the commercial organization is needed to keep its finger on the pulse of the whole body politic. It is the duty of the commercial organization to conduct its affairs upon a business basis. Whether in the location of industries or in an effort to secure new and larger parks, there should be a business-like metiiod adopted. It is the duty of the civic body to interest itself in educational matters. Upon the schcools depend the future ability and activity of the city's people. The civic body can and should exert its most wholesome influence for the con- tinual development of the school system. It is the duty of the commercial organization to give sound publicity to the city's advantages and to do everything in its power to eliminate all forms of detrimental publicity. It is its duty to endeavor in all right ways to attract new residents and new business and to assist in their location in all legitimate ways. In Europe, the cities have at least one municipal expert among its officers, frequently the clerk. This is his career and his tenure of office is permanent He is not merely a keeper of records but in him all public activities center. He is sought as the authority on all municipal matters, especially those concerning his own city. He is the adviser of all the officials. He is constantly compiling data on municipal subjects for the civic library. It 'is the duty of the commer- cail organization to fill the place of this expert as far as possible. The commercial organization should interest itself in the welfare and de- velopment of the surrounding country, the state and the nation. If such an organization is good for the city, it is good for the state and the nation. Texas, West Virginia, Michigan, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky, and many other states have organized their state bodies. The movement has spread to the nation itself and the Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America is the result In short, the duty of the commercial organization is to do any and all things necessary and incident to the upbuilding of the city, county, state, and nation in all channels of commercial and social activity and this duty should be performed upon an impartial, unselfish, non-political basis and in a wise and safe manner. The Commercial Organization 11 II Approved Methods of Organization The commercial organization of any city should be an example of efficiency. There must be a thoroughly systematic plan of organization. It should be as nearly automatic as possible. But it is impossible to reduce all of the work to routine. The efficient organization is one where action can be obtained without delay. A system should be in use which will at once automatically place any matter introduced on the calendar for action, either by the board of directors, some standing committee, the membership of the organization, or by the executive officer. The first and last control of the organization is in the membership. But because large bodies are unwieldy and because of the great difficulty in securing quick action when matters are handled exclusively by the entire membership, a smaller body, usually called a board of directors, is elected to act for the organi- zation. Most organizations are incorporated. This makes the members, stockhold- ers, and the board of directors*, the governing body, or representatives, of the stockholders. The executive officer, secretary or general manager, is the person in the position of chief responsibility. As the term implies he has supervision over all the work of the organization and its departments. Next in order come the standing committees or departments, also special committees, which are created for some particular endeavors which for any reason are not assigned to the standing committees. There is a wide difference of opinion concerning the number which should compose the membership of standing committees. Sonte contend that the num- ber should be small in order to secure the most efficient work, while others argue that every member of the association should be a member of some committee in order to more thoroughly arouse his interest. Where the latter method is in use, no quorum is necessary for committee work, although a quorum is necessary for the governing board. In regulating the number of the standing committees, a good method in use in several of the cities is fast finding favor. There is a committee for each one pf the directors save one, the president of the association. The advantage of the plan is in the fact that no meeting of the board can be held withouit s( majority of the chairmen of committees or departments of the association being represented from whom reports can be had. These standing committees are given names which indicate their individual lines of work, as for example, the Transportation Committee has charge of all matters which pertain to freight and passenger traffic ; the Public Utilities Com- mittee has jurisdiction over all matters pertaining to the public service corpora- tions such as the telephone, telegraph, power, gas and street railway companies ; the Retail Trade Extension Committee has charge of all matters pertaining to the retail interests and so on. 12 City Building The Board of Directors has regular meetings and the standing committees also. Special meetings of each can be held any time under special provisions. The entire membership has regular meetings during the year, either annually, quarterly, or monthly. The Board of Directors has the direction of the policy of the organization and its finances. Where questions of policy or association finances are involved, the standing committees cannot take final action but must refer such matters to the board. One of the most efficient organizations in the country is at Buffalo, N. Yv, in the Chamber of Commerce. The work is done through departments. First, Officers and Directors; Second, Thirty-one Standing Committees; Third, The Industrial Bureau, having a paid secretary; Fourth, The Convention Bureau, with a paid secretary; Fifth, the Publicity Bureau; Sixth, The Traffic Bureau; Sev^th, The Charities and Survey Bureau; Eighth, The Real Estate Associa- tion;^ Ninth, The Retail Merchants Association; Tenth, The Wholesale Mer- chants Association. Each of these departments is under its proper committee and each has its paid Secretary. Montgomery, Alabama, also has a form of organization very similar to the above. Its co-ordinated departments are the Freight Bureau, Real Estate Ex- change, Builders Exchange and the Credit Men's Association besides the vari- ous standing committees. Some cities have several separate organizations. This is generally conceded to be a mistake and many have recently consolidated the interests of all into one compact body. Cincinnati, Louisville, Birmingham, Indianapolis, and other cities which have two or more associations are^now working on merger plans. The financing of the commercial organization is a problem. The general method of solution is on some basis of membership. Dues in varying amounts are charged for each membership. These are paid either annually, quarterly, or by the month. Charleston, S. C, has a rate of $25.00 per year for a full membership with one full vote. Memberships are based on an individual's or firm's worth. The minimum is a half membership with a half vote. Large concerns are required to take out as many memberships as their worth* indicates in the scale. Rochester, N. '?., has adopted the individual form of membership instead of the corporation or firm form. Buffalo, N. Y., has four classes of membership. Class A members pay $250.00 per year, Class B $225.00, Class C $80.00 and Class D $30.00. The amount of an individual's membership depends upon his worth. Macon, Ga., has the Pay Roll plan. All the members of the Chamber of Commerce agree to pay so much per week. This amount each member remits each week by check. It is claimed for this plan that more revenue is secured and that the collection entails the minimum of expense and labor. Another plan in very extensive use is the three-year membership. Addi- tional information on this phase of the question will be found under the subjects of "How to increase the membership by the short term campaign," and "How to increase the membership by other plans." The Commercial Organization 13 III The Commercial Secretary The. work of the commercial organization is scientific development, there- fore to have ultimate success systematic, business principles must be used Also, the commercial secretary, or the executive officer, no matter what his title may be, sjiould be a man thoroughly grounded in the fundamental principles of eco- nomics which underly all business structure. He should be surrounded with every assistance if he is to show ability. Too many secretaries are handicapped with a lack of authority, a fault of the organization. No matter what sort of a proposition is presented to him, he can take no action but must refer the matter to the board of directors or to some committee. No matter how good an idea he may have for some special development work, no matter how much time he has spent in the preparation of a campaign to secure such development, he is powerless to act. He must submit the matter to others before he can go ahead. Many a good campaign has been spoiled by a bad case of indigestion on the part of those to whom the proposition is submitted. To avoid such disastrous conditions, many cities have adopted the plan of making the secretary, the manager and arming him with authority to act for the association with the Board of Directors as a check against mismanagement. This method is the application of one of the first principles in the business management of a corporation. Too much emphasis cannot be placed upon this important point. If the executive officer of the commercial organization is given power to do his work, he can then accomplish much greater results in development work than he can otherwise. He may make his mistakes, but he is human and he is no more liable to make those mistakes than are his directors. If he is an individual in- capable of undertaking such a responsibility, then he has no business in the posi- tion at all and a change is necessary. This is simply a business proposition. His work is business-like work and he should be treated in a business-like manner. Space will not permit going into details concerning the qualifications which a commercial executive should possess. Suffice it to say, he should have a good business education; he should be a good mixer; he should be optimistic and not prone to be overcome by discouragements; he should be active, energetic, amiable and above all shouM be absolutely democratic in his dealings with everyone. His work should not be handicapped by a constant scramble for sufficient funds with which to carry on his work. The collection of dues is a problem with all commercial organizations. Some few organizations still cling to the idea that it is the business of the secretary to collect these dues, to see the members of the organization in person and to persuade and cajole them into paying. Most of the successful cities, however, treat this subject also in a busi- ness-like manner. It is their contention that the secretary, or executive officer, is paid too high a price to make of him a bill collector and that the members should be required to pay their dues without solicitation excepting of course the written notice which is regularly mailed from the office of the secretary. 14 City Building Such cases as delinquents are handled entirely by another person who is a bill collector either in the constant employ of the association or secured for certain periods. The secretary should be spending the time necessar> for the collection of dues in some other work, planning some good development for the city. Iti many places this work of looking after the delinquents devolves upon the mem- bers of the membership committee. That the secretary of the commercial organization, no matter how good a man he may be, cannot do the work of the organization without workers in his ranks is beyond question. He cannot do all the work that is to be done alone; it is the duty of every business and professional man to co-operate with him loyally and to do all in his power to help the business body. It is also the duty of the officers to stand by the secretary. He is really the man who is on the firing line, and needs the hearty co-operation of the officers and the members. No one man, it matters not how resourceful, how energetic, or how aggressive he may be, can do everything, and the success of the associa- tion and its work is in proportion to the co-operation that is given the executive officer. The work of the commercial secretary has become today a profession. Ten years ago there were few in the country who gave their entire time to this work, but today there can hardly be found a town of ten thousand population but what has its paid secretary giving his whole time to the work of developing the resources of that community, advertising those resources and in short doing all he can with what assistance and co-operation he can secure from the mem- bers of the organization to make that city a better and more desirable place in which to live. He has improved to such an extent during this decade that today he stands before the country as a civic expert. The commercial secretary has no easy time. His work is hard because it covers almost innumerable fields of endeavor, every one of which requires earnest thought and consideration in order to successfully solve the problems which are constantly arising. He deserves the co-operation and the sympathy of every citizen in his community. The former means his success and the latter means more energy and greater activity on his part. The Commercial Organization IS IV How to Keep the Organization Alive to its Best Work To keep the commercial organization alive to its best work, every member must be so filled with enthusiasm for the development of his city, so imbued with civic pride and so educated to realize the importance and marvelous oppor- tunities presented through the co-operative efforts of himself and his neighbors that he cannot resist the call of that opportunity. To generate such enthusiasm, to create such civic pride, to consummate such education, that is the question. In the first place there is a nucleus with which to start. Every city has its "live wires" — men who have already reached the point where they see the value of co-operation. Upon these few devolves the burden of propagating this .gospel. They must take the lead and through their combined persuasive effloirts gradually add to their ranks until the whole army is enlisted. Nothing succeeds like success and the commercial organization which shows results is the one which adds to its working force former luke-warm members. There are always to be found men who want to be in the "swim." Every success- ful campaign will bring in a few who can be made good consistent workeVs if properly handled. There are four kinds of co-operation needed in the commercial organiza- tion, financial, moral, intellectual and physical. These must be present if the organization is to keep itself alive to its best work. Men must give of their money, they must morally support the organization in campaigns where it is necessary to go against some particular interest in subserving the interests of the majority, they must give to the organization their best thought, counsel and advice and they must be ready to give their time and physical work when such is needed. It is vitally necessary for the organization to keep its members informed as to the work which is being prosecuted. The practical thing for the officers to do is to have stated membership meetings to acquaint them and the public with organization efforts. Every member should be made to feel that he is a com- ponent part of the organization; that there is the same responsibility resting upon him for the success of the organization as there is on any one else. Each member should be given something to do. He should be shown some favor not accorded to non-members. Many cities put every member on some one of the standing committees and every effort is made to make each one feel that, part of the work devolves upon him. The social side of the question will bear consideration. Many cities own their own commercial organization buildings in which are conducted clubs, which combine the social features with the business work. With such plants it is com- paratively easy to secure the interest of many members in some new work con- templated because they are attracted to the building by the social features thereto attached. The aim and purpose of the organization is to help the city. Conseqiiently in the regular meetings subjects should be introduced and discussed which have a direct bearing upon the local situation. Some cities might be interested in the open-door policy in China but more would be interested in such questions as 16 City Building "how to get our home people to deal more exclusively with home merchants." Such a subject appeals to every manufacturer and merchant and his interest is at once aroused. Through all of the work there should be wholesome pleasures interspersed to secure and retain the co-operation of some classes of members. This phase should not be used to the exclusion of the business to be transacted but Khere are times when a relief from incessant work will bring most beneficial results. Many cities conduct annual outings with great success. Camping trips and one day picnics are promoted for the purpose of not only getting the members to rub elbows with one another, but also to give the organization the opportunity to increase individual interest in the association itself. Trade excursions are very beneficial in this respect. Jacksonville, Florida, has as one of its standing committees the Good Enter- tainment Committee and Hot Iron Club. This committee arranges the programs for three or four special sessions of the organization during the year at which amusing features are prodqced. These features are usually burlesques or take- offs on some local happenings, conditions or people. They are carefully ar- ranged to carry a point or lesson so that while the members are enjoying thetn- selves they are al^so imconsciously assimilating some good thing, referring to some needed development in the city. Upon the secretary, or executive officer, largely depends the duty and neces- sity of always keeping the work of the organization going. The organization which takes periodic spurts is not of the same value as the one which ke^s continually at it. The constant use of the local newspapers will be found a splendid way in which to keep the membership and the public generally in- formed as to what is going on. To sum up, the interest of the member must be secured to obtain his co- operation and after that he must be constantly interested in order to retain his co-operation. His co-operation is vital for success. His interest can be secured by keeping him informed of the work in hand, by making him feel his responsi- bility and by appealing to his civic pride, his socal side and his selfish interests. The Commercial Organization 17 V How to Increase the Mraibership by the ^ort Term Campaign The organization of a short t«rm campaign is as follows. The Secretary, or executive officer of the organizartion, is usuaHy the general in chief. He, to- nary publicity efforts and the creation of great enthusiasm among the citizens of a community. Many cities hold such campaigns annually and it is no un- usual thing to more than double the former membership. The organization of a short term campaign is as follows. The Secretary or executive ofEcer of the organization is usually the general jn chief. He, to- gether with the governing board, appoints the committees who have charge of the different phases of the campaign, both the preliminary work and the actual securing of members. The usual committees are the Prospect Committee, whose duty it is to make out a card index system of the citizens whom it is desired to solicit as members, the Publicity Committee, whose duty it is to have charge of all publicity; the Organization Committee, whose duty it is to secure work- ers and to select captains for the teams; the Arrangement Committee, whose duty it is to make all other preparations such as securing headquarters where a noon-day luncheon is usually served to the workers by the organization gratis. The secretary keeps in close touch with the work of these committees and the directors also give of their time to supervise this work. The Prospe^ct Com- mittee has printed blank cards containing the following information concerning the prospect; name, business address, home address, occupation, person or team to whom prospect is assigned, and remarks. This committee fills out these cards in duplicate, one for the solicitor while the other is retained in the office files in order to obtain a complete report upon each and every person. The Publicity Committee prepares the newspaper stories con<:erning work of the organization and the need for an increased membership in order to carry on new and additional development work. This committee also prepares the other blank forms such as daily envelopes, reports, folders,^ or other special publicity. Where a daily lunch is served the Arrangement Committee is required to prepare a suitable place for serving the lunch, tables, chairs, dishes, etc., besides purchasing the food and having it cooked and served. The Organization Committee secures the promise of as many present mem- bers as possible to solicit new members. This committee also selects two men to be Generals of Divisions. The committee with the assistance of these two division commanders selects the captain of ten teams for each division, making twenty teams in all. A meeting of all captains is held, at which they choose by lot their team mates from the list of promised solicitors. The number of members of each team is dependent entirely upon the number of promised workers. The purpose of the two divisions and also of the sub-division of teams is to excite a friendly rivalry among the workers. With the work of these committees completed up to this point, the campaign is ready to be launched. The publicity is begun several days before the opening date and is kept up continually throughout the campaign period. A general 18 City Building meeting of all solicitors, team captains, division managers, and officials of the organization is usually held on the evening before the campaign opens. A suc- cessful method to secure a large attendance at this meeting is to tender the workers a banquet The mo^t enthusiastic speakers that can be secured compose the programme. At this meeting the first cards of prospective members are given out to the workers. The best method of distributing these cards is by auction. The name of the prospect is read aloud and the first person who speaks for that card secures it No solicitor is allowed to solicit a prospect unless he has that pros- pect's card. The passing out of the card at this meeting gives the workers material on which to work during the next morning up to the noon hour. All of the workers are expected to come to the noon lunch prepared to make a report to hiis captain. After the meal is served, reports are caljled for by teams. One division commander will call for the reports of his teams, after which the other division commander calls for the reports from his teams, the next day this order is reversed. While the reports are being made, a great deal of enthusiasm is engendered by the applauding of especially good work on the part of any of the teams. After the reports are concluded, each day's total is announced and placed upon a large black-board on the wall as a constant re- minder to the workers of their relative standing. One or two short stiappy speeches are given. The solicitors are provided with membership blanks which the prospect signs. There have been many successful modifications of the above plan. The one-day campaign is one of them. In Dayton, Ohio, such a campaign was conducted. Beginning several weeks prior to "Booster Day" a series of follow-up letters were mailed to 600 prospects. On "Booster Day" about 50 of the representative business men devoted their entire time to securing new members. More than 400 people were personally seen, 249 new members were secured. Applications were left at a number of places where the prospects were out of the city or otherwise engaged and many of them signed application blanks and sent them in later. Chattanooga, by a similar campaign, added 810 new members in 30 hours work at annual dues of $25.00 with 22 committees of three workers each. !« this campaign, the city was divided into blocks. The new members were asked to sign up for three years. Birmingham, Alabama, added 1200 new members by the short term campaign. J The Commercial Organization 19 VI How to Increase Membership by Other Plans While the short term method of increasing the membership of the commer- cial organization is most effective for increasing that membershii|> quickly, a number of cities do not consider the campaign effective -for securing the better class. It is contended that a large percentage of new members secured under the excitement of an enthusiastic campaign do not continue as members, but very soon become delinquents and are like so much dead wood so far as actual work and co-operation is concerned. But be this as it may, a number of cities have adopted other methods of securing members. One plan is where the membership committee of the organization determines to secure one new member each during a certain period of time. This plan, of course, is worked without creating spedal enthusiasm and without giving forced publicity to the campaign. This plan can also be extended to the entire member- ship of the organization. In Omaha, Nebraska, a plan very much like the above, and yet having some of the features of the short term campaign was adopted with the resull) thai more than 500 new members were secured from January 1, to March 31, 191.2. This campaign was conducted entirely by the membership committee, composed of twenty-five young men who worked individually. They met every Saturday at noon. The feature of the campaign was the wisdom of selection of prospects. Forty-three members were secured during the last afternoon. In Worcester, Massachusetts, last year, a campaign was conducted during the month of June in which a large number of new members were secured. A feature of thiidi campaign was the donation by a public-spirited citizen of a handsome loving cup as a prize to the team which secured the largest number of members. The offer of this trophy resulted in the creation of a remarkable amount of enthusi- asm. One of the teams made very satisfactory use of an automobile in the solicitation of members. In one day the automobile party secured thirty-two. Another method is the letter campaign. A carefully selected list of pros- pects is made up and at regular intervals, advertising matter and letters, telling of the work which the commercial organization is not only doing, but wants to do are mailed to the prospect Periodically, invitations to become members, to these prospects are mailed. Application blanks are enclosed. The prospect is shown how a membership wall benefit him. He is made to feel that as a citizej>n of the community, obtaining his living from that community, he has an unavoid- able and certain responsibility in the city's welfare. If the prospect does not respond to this method of campaigning, his name is turned over to the memberships committee and he is given a personal visit and a personal invitation to become a member of the organization. The advantage of this plan is in the fact that when the personal visit is made, the prospect is un- able to give as his reason for not joining that he does not know wliat tiie organi- zation is doing and other excuses of iSce character. Some c^ies have adopted the plan of having associate members. Such mem- berships are made lower in price than the full membership. Usually they are without voting power. Their purpose is to secure the co-operation and interest of citizens who are not engaged m active business or professions. These mem- berships secure the clerks and subordinate officers in the industrial enterprises. 20 CxTV Building In many cases, a woman's auxilliary is formed with a different form of membership, carrying a smaller assessment for dues. The purpose of this is to secure the active working interest and coioperation of tiie public-spirited women of the community and wherever adopted this plan has brought forth splendid results in certain depaitments of civic work, sucl^ a« sanitation, a greater num- ber and better equipped parks and play-grounds, mcreased educational facilitiies and other similar departments whilch a great many business men do not seem anxious to undertake. A plan for increasing the commercial organization membership on a com- mission basis has been tniied out in some cities with indifferent success. TihS* plan is to employ a solicitor for either whole time or part time. He sdli^ts members at the regular rate and receives his remuneration from commissions. This plan of securing new members has been tried out more successful^ by 9tate organiizations than by city organizations and yet in some few instances it has been successful m the cities. Perhaps the greatest objection to this plan is the fact that in most dtic|s the commercial organization has not yet reached the point where it is considered from a strictly business standpoint as any other corporation existing in the city. Memberships in the commercial organization are still considered as donations and are not thought of being necessary adjuncts of a man's individual business. This opinion, is, of course, fast disappearing and it will only be a matter of a few years until the majority of citizens in the average city will realize the abso- lute business necessity for the commercial organization working on a co-opera- tive basis for the upbuilding of all the various interests and departments qf civic life. It makes little difference how beautiful a city may be, how pleasant a place it is in which to live, how advantageous its location or what its resources may be, if its beauty, its pleasantness, its advantages and its resources are not mtadel known. In other words without publicity the city is handicapped in its growth. It may have a natural growth, as practically every town and village in the world has, because of the natural increase in the world's population. But it is only through publicity that the percentage of natural growth can be increased. Thff next six articles will deal with this phase of the city's activities. , PUBUCITY. . 21 CHAPTER 2 PUBLICITY The Value op and How to Secure Local Publicity. Sdine time ago an Editorial appeared in the Woman's Hdme Com- i^iiion ufidet the caption, "What if All Aaoy Plan m The metliod of locating Indastrles by means of the Deyelopment Com- pany Is becoming yery popular with a large number of cities which for any reason find themselves compelled to supplement their natural re- sources and adyantages with additional inducements. So far as is known the plan originated In Oklahoma City, when. In a campaign which was heralded oyer the country as a wonderful achleyement, that city raised a fund of four hundred thousand dollars to furnish a site, railroad switches and facilities, water and other requisites for the location of a three mil- lion dollar packing plant. Since that time the Idea has spread and the plan in various forms is to be found in nearly every state In the Union. The simplest statement of the plan is that it Is a holding company organized by citizens of a community who use the resources of the com- pany for the purpose of stimulating the growth of new and old industries in the community, not so much through bonus-giving as by properly In- vesting those resources. The Development Company is a corporation organized and Incorpo- rated under favorable laws for the profit and benefit of its stockhoklcrs and for the benefit and promotion of progress in a community. The stock of the company is subscribed by the citizens of the community. The cap- ital of the company should be of an amount sufficiently large to permit of extensive operations. General corporation laws permit the beginning of business when one-half of the capital stock Is subscribed. The stock can be raised In a number of different ways, among them being the quiet individual campaign, the enthusiastic short-term cam- paign, the all-day meeting or the ''progress dinner" plan. When the stock is subscribed the stockholders should meet In their first annual meeting and elect a board of trustees, or directors. These in turn will elect their president, secretary and other officers. It is well to have for the secretary of the Development Company the secretary of the city's commercial organization, because he Is naturally in closer touch with development possibilities than anyone else. Now, after the company is organized and incorporated, the next step is to put the plan to work. Suppose a manufacturer is Inclined to locate in your community for the purpose of manufacturing boots and shoes. He tells you that he is willing to invest thirty thousand dollars in the enter- prise, but that it will take fifty thousand dollars to finance the industry. He wishes your community to furnish the additional twenty thousand dollars. After an investigation of the proposed industry, as was suggested in the preceding article, by the directors of the Development Company and the propo- sition is found to be bona fide, the directors call for a payment on the subscribed stock, sufficiently large, pro rata among the stockholders, to cover the investment of the twenty thousand dollars in the boot and shoe factory corporation. When the boot and shoe company is organized It Is agreed that the Development Company shall have a certain representation on the governing board of that company. 38 City BxTKLDSKe In this manner the Development Oompany has located an industry in the community and has invested, not given, twenty thousand dollars, which will draw a dividend for the stockholders of the Development Com- pany. These dividends are paid into the treasury of the Development Company. In turn the directors prorate to the Individual stockholders their share of the dividend, after paying the expenses of operation for the Development Company. It will be found advantageous in securing stock subscriptions if all subscriptions are secured upon the following conditions; that no part of the subscriptions will be called until a definite proposition to locate an iadustry has been passed by the directors; that not more than a centain percentage of the capital stock -cslh be called in within a certain period, 1. e., three nM>nth8; and that no subscriptions are to be in force until ai letLtit one-half of the entire capital stock has been subscribed. The plan, it will be found, will work in many oth^r ways; in fact, its charter should be drawn in as broad a manner as possible and still conform to the corporation laws of the state. It may be that the manu- facturer wants nothing more than a factory site. and still others are a combination of the two. iPerhaps one of the best methods is the assessment plan. {Member- ships in the bureau are secured and these memberships are rated accord- ing to the amount of direct benefit to each. An assessment sufficiently large to begin the work of the bureau is made. When this fund is ex- hausted, additional assessments are levied, and so on throughout the year. Of course, the Board of Governors or Directors are a check on what this annual amount will be and also the capacity of the members themselves to contribute will also perform an automatic check upon the amount of revenue which can be secured. iWhen the bureau is organized and the finances secured, then the suc- cess of the organization in securing conventions and tourist travel for the city is only dependent upon the advantages whioh the city possesses and the industry and energy displayed by the bureau and its officers in giv- ing publicity to these advantages. Conventions 55 VI How to Entertain Conventions The majority of American cities have placed the ban on the bonu9- hunting industry, those concerns which come into a city and stay long enough to secure the gift, an^ then hie away to some other place whlclt is oftering them other gifts. As this has been done in this branch of city building, Just so are the cities fast coming to the conclusion that the con- vention to secure and entertain which entails a great financial burden upon the commuoity is not desirable, but to the contrary, unwelcome. To quote on this point Milton Carmichael, Secretary of the Detroit Convention and Tourist Bureau, an authority on convention matters: "I would advise any city to reduce the entertainment feature to the point where it is not burdensome. More than once I have heard delegates remark that they did not care to accept an invitation from some city because so much entertainment was promised that the delegates in attendance would have no time lor the transaction of business, or seeing points of interest in their own way." "By pursuing this policy, you will see the handling of conventions becomes an incidental matter. The expense has been reduced four-fifths and the work nine-tenths. A convention that costs more to entertain than it is worth is the one to let some other city have. The convention whose ofiiceifs drop in with the suggestion that they will meet in your city if you will advance a cash sum sufficient to take care of their year's maintenance and hire office help at its general headquarters Is another convention that it is well to let go to another city." There are a number of conventions which will come to you for an up-set price, and there are others which do not ask for a price, but in- stead certain forms of entertainment which are nearly as burdensome. Both of these classes should be discouraged as far as possible, and by concerted action along this line this habit can be broken up entirely. Whatever entertainment is "provided by a city, it should not conflict with the work of the convention. A program of events should be worked out by the entertainers and the officers of the convention. In this way conflicts can be entirely avoided. In the flrst place, convention delegates will appreciate it if they are met by a committee of your townsmen upon entering the city. This af- fords a splendid opportunity for the distribution of special advertising matter concerning the city, points of interest in and about, and side trips which can be easily made, and directions how to go. Many cities have a special booklet for such distribution containing the foregoing matter and such additional information as the legal taxi or cab fares, the cost of side trips, the principal hotels and their rates, and other similar matter. It is altogether proper for your citizens to have a committee to wait upon the convention throughout its sessions, to be ever ready to assist in the expeditious conduct of business, and to be walking bureaus of In- formation. The members of this committee should wear badges which should indicate the capacity in which they are acting. The co-operation 56 City Building of your police department will greatly assist in giving delegates informa- tion. It may be impractical for delegates to make certain side trips to points of interest because of conflict with convention sessions. In that event, it is proper to arrange special transportation accommodations, but have it understood that each delegate is expected to pay his own way. A banquet can be arranged at which the delegates will be the guests of honor and made to know that they are welcome. Usually at the open- ing session of the convention an address of welcome is given by some local celebrity as the Mayor, President of the Commercial Organization, or some other representative person. This address is usually responded to by the president of the convention, and then the delegates gef down to business. Entertainment largely depends upon the character of the conven- tion. (More and more are delegates bringing their wives and children with them and are making the trip a sort of vacation period. In such cases particular attention should be paid to these visitors who are not delegates. Arrangements should be made so that they will be able to see the most in the least time and in the most satisfactory manner while the delegates are busy at work. In the case of fraternal conventions, it is fast growing to be the habit of the local lodges to hold receptions and other evening functions for the entertainment of their guests. The matter of decorating the city in honor of the convention depends largely upon the size and character of the convention. Most of the busi- ness houses of any city have their stock of decorations, consisting mainly of flags and bunting, and it will be very little expense to them to put them up during the convention period. There is, perhaps, nothing that will make such a showing as such a method of entertainment and consid- ering the relatively small expense, it is very satisfactory. Many delegates desire to take their own time for sight-seeing and pleasure-seeking. The entertainment should be so arranged as to provide for rest and relaxation. The convention question is a problem and success can only be attained by watching the methods of other cities to which conventions go. Extension of Retail Trade 57 CHAPTER 5 EXTENSION OF RETAIL TRADE How TO Conduct A Shopping Carnival Practically every retail store has two periods during the year when it con- ducts clearance sales. The commercial organization can co-operate with the retailers for the pur- pose of moving quickly this dead or surplus stock by conducting Shopping Car- nivals. The retailers are members of the commercial body and the affair can be conducted by that organization with much less trouble than otherwise. The keynote of a successful Shopping Carnival is co-operation — th€ keynote of all successful public work. The retail establishments sign an agreement to hold their clearance sales during the same period of two weeks' duration. The merchants also pledge small subscriptions of, say, $10. Rating the merchants, charging some more, and others less, according to the size of their establishments and the volume of business, is often done. These funds pay for the co-operative advertising of the Shopping Carnival. This money is used in attracting out-of-town trade. The usual forms which this publicity takes is display space in the surrounding country newspapers, post- ers for billboard advertising and personal letters. The country newspapers usually give special rates on this copy. A careful selection of papers is made in those sections which it is believed will yield the greatest amount of results. The posters can be purchased and put up for from five to twelve cents a sheet. This form of advertising will be found very effective. Half sheet cards or muslin banners can also be used to advantage on fences, bridges, trees, and ^ other places along the roads leading into the city. .^"^ The personal letter will probably bring more business than any other one advertising medium. A good mailing list can be secured from telephone direc- s^ tories of the surrounding counties. Such a mailing list is not only alive and N up-to-date, but it also puts you in touch with the best people in the community. Too much attention cannot be given to the letters in making them really per- \ * sonal. Modem office equipment has reached the stage today when circular let- ters, filled in with name and address and salutation, cannot be distinguis^hed from the really dictated letter. The letter should extend a cordial invitation to visit the city and dwell upon the advantage of the co-operative sales for making purchases throughout the household. Pieces of advertising matter may also be enclosed. The value of the letter is that it miakes a personal appeal which is hard to resist and, the better the letter writer, the stronger is this appeal. The average city man receives a considerable amount of mail and to him the circular letteir does not appeal, but in the smaller communities and the rural districts, where these letters go, the people receive comparatively little mail and everything with Uncle Sam's postmark is given sufficient attention for its message to be under- stood For protection to those merchants who put up the money to finance the Shopping Carnival, all advertising matter should call attention to some sign or decoration of these stores to distinguish them from the others. A good plan 58 City Building is to call all such Red Spot stores. Each hangs in the windows large round red bristol boards with the words "we are members of the Shopping Car- nival" printed upon them. These cards should be as large as possible to attract attention. Every merchant in the city should be given the opportunity to go into the Shopping Carnival. Some of those who decline will object to the desdgnating of stores by special signs or decorations, but to the merchant who puts up th« money to advertise his business belongs the trade. The Shopping Carnival brings the merchants closer together and show^ them the value of co-operaUon. Many cities are found whose merchants are afraid of each other and are constantly looking out for some one of their conl- petitors to ''put something over" on them, but after one Shopping Carnival has been successfully conducted in the community, the merchants begin to realize that they are all after the same thing, more business, and that by co-operation each can secure greater and better results. The Shopping Carnival affords all of the merchants a great opportunity to clean up their stocks. With just one concern conducting a clearance sale at some particular time the out-of-town customer is not so apt to be attracted as when he is able to buy all kinds, classes and assortments of goods on tibe same trip for the same railroad fare. This feature is* by far the strongest talk- ing point in the Shopping Carnival advertising matter. Another feature of the Shopping Carnival is the minimum amount of expense chargeable to each participating merchant. If a merchant holds his sale independently of the others, his advertising bills will amount to a tremend- ous sum in comparison to his contribution to the fund to finance the Shopping Carnival. If the merchants will all agree to make a certain reduction in prices for the clearance period, the Shopping Carnival will attract more attention. Extension of Retail Trade S9- n How to G>iiduct a Rehuid of Fare CampaigQ Like the Shopping Carnival the success of the Refund of Fare Campaign depends upon the co-operation secured. Most of the cities have experienced difficulty in finding a plan which will give the purchaser the minimum of trouble and yet protect the merchants from giving the benefit of the campaign to those who do not deserve it The purpose is simply to put the out-of-town buyer on the same basis as the home buyer. The merchants agree to refund the amounts paid by out-^of- town customers for their transportation tickets. From each of these merchants a small sum of money is collected to be used in advertising. Application to die agents of the steam roads and interurban lines is made for a list of all stations and stops on their respective lines within a certain radius of the city. The agents are also asked to furnish the mileage from each station and the round trip fare. The stations on all lines are arranged in alphabetical order in one list The percentage of refund on purchases is then fixed. The usual amount is five per cent In compiling the list of stations three columns are used. The first column gives the stations, the second column the round trip fare, and the third column, amount of purchase necessary to obtain the refund of the round trip fare. This list forms a part of the Refund of Fare Check Book. The first part of the book contains instructions to the visitor and the merchants. Next follows a list of the merchants who are members of the Refund of Fare Campaign, then the list of railroad stations to which die refund of fare applies. Blank spaces^ for the signatures of merchants selling and the amount of purchase from each follows. The book is closed with a recapitulation giving date of purchase, name of purchaser, his address, the amount of refund and the name of the mer- chant refunding. When a sufficient amount of purchases has been made to allow the refund from the customers' station to the city and return, the last mer- chant selling takes up the book and refunds in cash the amount required as found in the alphabetical list of stations. The Refund of Fare Book then be- comes the merchant's receipt for the amount of money paid out by him Do any customer. After the campaign closes an auditing committee collects and checks over the books and prorates to each merchant the money due him for the excels which he paid out or collects from him the deficit which he owes. These Refund of Fare Check Books should be placed in the hands of cush tomers before they reach the city, if possible. If the personal letter campaign is used as suggested in the Shopping Carnival plan a book can be enclos^ in each letter. The railroads will distribute to their agents a supply of these books to be given to customers when they purchase round trip tickets. All advertising matter should state that the agents have the books and a customer receives one on request On the cover, a space is provided in which the railroad station stamp is put by the agent This is prima facie evidence that the book was issued at the point stamped on the cover. 6Q City Building Some instructions to. the visitor which should not be overlooked are, that he should present to or ask the Refund of Fare Check Book from his station agent and have him stamp the same with the railroad stamp in the place pro- vided for that purpose on the cover; that the book must be presented to eviery merchant from whom the customer makes a purchase ; that the customer should see that the merchant places his name and the full amount of purchase in the place provided; that the last merchant from whom the customer purchases goods will refund to him in cash his fare and that this merchant will take up the Check Book. The merchant is instructed to see that each book is properly issued ; to not fail to write his firm name and full amount of purchase in the place provided;* if he is last merchant selling customer,- to total purchases made from all mer- chants; to see if this total is equal or more than minimum required, which he will ascertain in the third column opposite the customer's railroad station; to see that the total of all purchases is sufficient to reach the minimum, in which event he shall refund in cash the round trip fare found in column two ; to have the customer sign his name and address in the space provided and to take up the book after refunding the fare. It will be noticed that the last merchant selling customer requires the cus- tomer to sign his name and address. The purpose of this is to obtain a list qf out-of-town customers who have taken advantage of the Refund of Fare Cam- paign. Such a list is the property of participating merchants and after the campaign closes, copies of the list are sent to each merchant for his use in send- ing out additional or special advertising matter which he cares to circulate with reference to his business. Another instruction which is usually not printed in the Refund of Fare Check Book but which is understood among all participating merchants, is that each merchant has the right to issue upon his own authority the Refund of Fare Check Book to customers whom he knows live in some other place and justly entitled to the benefit of the refund of fare. The campaign as outlined above has been tried out in a number of places and has always proven successful for the protection of all parties concerned. Extension of Retail Trade 61 III The Efficacy of Cooperative Advertising in New Territory This article treats the subject from the viewpoint of the extension of retail trade into the surrounding country by the retail merchants of a city. The argu- ments used will also apply to the other branches of publicity which is giv&n a city. The meaning intended to be conveyed by co-operative advertising is where the advertising fund is raised by many different interests and spent through one management for one purpose. This form of advertising is good because it secures the largest appropria- tion for publicity at the least individual expense. The small sum of ten dollars from each one of a hundred retail merchants in a city will give a fund of one thousand dollars to be used to propagate a special object. Hardly is there a merchant who will refuse to pay this small subscription to be a party to a large total sum spent to advertise the city in which he is doing business and especially when that advertising is used to benefit his own particular business. What could that one merchant do in the way of giving his business publicity with that lone ten dollars? He could not oven do the hundredth part, the per- centage of the whole which his subscription represents ; he could not cover even one small district of outside territory. About the best he could do would be to distribute three or four thousand circus hand-bills in his home city. On the other hand, he is able along with the other ninety-nine merchants to cover the territory outside the city for a radius of fifty miles or so thoroughly. A few figures will help to elucidate this point. Take the personal letter method of advertising a co-operative sale similar to the Shopping Carnival dis- cussed recently in this series. The lone merchant's ten dollars would purchase postage for five hundred letters, but it would leave nothing with which to hvey the stationery or write the letters. In the co-operative fund, if all of the money is spent in this form of advertising, he is able with the rest to send out 33,500 letters personally addressed and signed. With his single ten dollars, this merchant can purchase and have posted one hundred sheets of poster paper. As a part of the co-operative fund, his money does its share to put out 10,000 sheets of paper, which would be a big billing for a tremendous circus. If circulars were used and sent to their destination through the mails, his ten dollars would hardly distribute 700, while with the co-operaition of his fellow-merchants the total would be 70,000 and more because in larger quantities the cost of printing is reduced materially. The cost of clerical work is also greatly reduced. In case display space in country newspapers was used, the single merchant could buy about one hundred inches of space for one issue, but the co-operative fund would be able to purchase all of the space in several newspapers for one weekly issue. With flyers, the long streamers so often seen in railroad stations advertising reduced rates to certain points for some special event, this mer- chant could buy about 5,000 of them. The other way he could help purchase 1,000,000. It can be said that what the merchant does alone advertises his own busi- ness and his only. This is probably the manner in which he should do his local 62 City Building advertising. The co-operative fund is not used for local publicity but for circu- lation outside of the city to new territory* territory which the merchant alone could not reach at all without the expenditure of large sums of money. It is from such territory that the average merchant must look for the great increase in his business. The increase in population in his own city will give him a certain growth, but he would not be content with this, so he must make his best efforts to draw trade from this new territory. An example of the efficacy of co-operative advertising in new territory is to be seen in the retail market of Lexington, Ky. Three years ago the plan was first tried. A fund of a thousand dollars was raised and spent in newspapef advertising, personal letters, circulars and road cards. The territory intb which this matter went was some twenty counties outside of the home county. The participating merchants wore smiles for months because of the increased busi- ness. Since that time the plan has become established and now it is used durittg every special event occurring in the city, such as the Spring and Fall race meet-* ings, the Fall Trots, the Blue Grass Fair and other periods. Today the Lexing- ton market is known as the Retail Market of Central Kentucky and the out-of- town business is estimated to be sixty-five per cent of the total of retail sales. The new territory has been gradually increased until now trade is attracted to the city from some points more than a hundred miles distant. Although co-operative advertising is generally used to push some special campaign or event, it makes the city's market better known and during the off- l)eriods more or less trade is attracted to the city by that publicity. If it is a good proposition ito keep the name and advantages of a city in general before the nation's public, why is it not just as important to keep the city's retail mar- ket before the public of that territory from which that city should attract trade? Co-operative advertising, so far as the retail interests are concerned, is the most effective way in which to cover new territory, to give thorough publicity to some coming event, to bind the merchants closer together and to do the work at a minimum of expense. Extension of Retail Trade .J$3 IV CdebratibiiSt Pageantst and Siinilar Showi ate Good Trade Getter The retail merchants of many cities have realized the fact that in order to increase the number of out^f-town customers, they must give them sotne addi- tional attractions to draw them into the city besides the bargains upon theSr shelves. The result has been the promotion of expositions, celebrations of an historical character, pageants, aviation meets and tne like. These are financed by the business interests of the city. Most cities are using every excuse avail- able upon which to hang an advertising campaign. Only recently Pine Bluff, Arkansas, installed ornamental street lighting in the business section of tile city. When this system of lighting was finished, a "White Way Dajr" was held to celebrate the installation. An aviation meet was held during the afternoon and at night the lights were turned on for the fit^ time with an appropriate ceremony. The affair was advertised throughout the surrounding country of trade territory, tributary to that city. The schemfe re- sulted in bringing many thousand visitors in for the day. Many places conduct exhibitions at stated times during the year which are indicative of their resources, habits, or customs. A spectacle of this character which has grown to national importance is "Frontier Days," h«ld eV^nr August in Cheyenne, Wyoming. This celebration is most unique and attractive. The participants are cowboys and Indians and the programme consists of exhibitions of riding bucking bronchos, racing, roping, or lariat throwing, rope twirling and expert horsemanship. Council Bluffs makes use of carnivals to raise money to finance various enterprises of its Commercial Club. The holding of a corn show not only gains the interest of the rural com- munity, but also does much to increase the corn crop. One way in which tftie com show can be made to yield direct returns to the merchants is to secure purses for prizes. During the period of holding the com show, the merchants put on a sale which is advertised on the co-operative advertising plan. The ad- vertising is done through the medium of circulars which are handed out in person by responsible distributors who tour the country. At the same tima these men tie yellow tags advertising the sale on fences, trees, and other points of vantage throughout the country. The yellow tags are good for a certain dis- count in the purchase of articles. After the prizes have been awarded, the com is put up at auction, sold to the highest bidder and the proceeds devoted td charity. In Cincinnati every year, they hold a May Festival which consists df ain elaborate musical programme. This always attracts tremendous crowds oC visitors. In Salt Lake City, similar attractions are held periodically and large prizes are offered for competition by brass bands, orchestras, singers, orators and chorus clubs. These never fail to bring great throngs of people from all over the intermountain region. In nearly every community, there is the annual fair, which not only attracts the crowds, but also stimulates better methods in agriculture and stock raising. Another attractive display or rather exposition on a small scale, can be easily worked up in nearly any city. This is the "made at home" show. There is hardly a city but what has some industries and these industries will quickly 64 City Building embrace the opportunity to advertise their wares by displaying splendid exhibits of their products in the various stores. This plan has the attraction of not only securing buyers but also advertising goods made at home. Such shows ar-e par- ticularly good at the opening of the season as they form a splendid introduction of the season's stock of goods. The pulling power of all these shows is uniques ness. Originality and attractiveness spell success in these endeavors as they do in every other line of work. It is a comparatively easy matter to conduct such cedebrations. Call a meet- ing of the business interests and suggest the plan. Some one will surely be able to suggest some historical event or some other excuse upon which to hangf the show. An executive committee to have general charge of the affair should be appointed and this committee should appoint all the necessary sub-com- mittees, the number of which will depend entirely upon the size of the exhibit. Some person should be made the general manager of the whole affair. A programme of events should be made up and this will give the financial budget necessary to be covered in order to hold the show. The estimate of these finances should be made to cover as large an advertising fund as possible.* The strongest sort of a publicity campaign should be made throughout the terri- tory from which it is reasonable to expect to draw a crowd. In pushing the publicity campaign, it is well to bear in mind that the short vigorous campaign will bring greater results than the long, drawn-out campaign ; for it is very hard to sustain publicity upon any one thing for a long period of time. Care should be taken to have all arrangements made before the show opens. In case it is a paid attraction, ground-care-takers, gate-keepers and all other* help must be secured and attention should be given in every way possible ta the comfort, convenience and pleasure of the patrons. The more ambitious these exhibits, the more co-operation can be secured from the transportation lines operating in and out of the city. If it can be shown to the carriers that they will do an appreciable amount of increasf d busi- ness, they will co-operate to the extent of granting reduced rates for th^ events. Extension of Retail Trade 65 V Souvenir Days Make People Buy "Something for nothing" has never failed to attract attention. It is eter- nally valuable as a part of a selling campaign. For extending a city's retail trade territory, the giving of souvcjnirs or premiums can be made very efficacious. The plan can be easily adapted to large or small stores. Where a number of stores use it simultaneously, it can be made much stronger. A good plan is to advertise through a co-operative publicity campaign through the surrounding territory that during a certain period of time, all stores co-operating in the campaign will give with every dollar purchased, a coupon good for five cents toward securing a souvenir or premium. A large number of these souvenirs or premiums valued from five cents each up to any amount which is desired are placed on display in some central part of the city Each souvenir is duplicated in this display several times so as to show prospect- ive customers that they have several chances to get any particular souvenir or premium. The souvenirs are all marked in such a way as to show the amount of the goods necessary to be purchased in order to secure each one. Each coupon shows the value of that particular coupon, as for example, a customer making a dollar purchase will receive a five-cent coupon and a cus- tomer purchasing ten dollars worth of goods will receive a fifty-cent coupon. These coupons are made and redeemable at the place where the souvenirs artf on exhibition. This plan is often stimulated by advertising that on a certain day, ustfally the opening day, a large number of paper balloons will be sent up from tlief various stores. To each balloon is attached advertising matter and a coupon valued at one dollar which will be redeemable together with other coupons at it^ face value. Another plan is called a "give away sale." All sorts of articles are placed on exhibition in a central place. These articles are properly labeled as the ones which will be given away during the sale. Each store contributes a num- ber of articles. When the customer purchases goods from any of the participating stores, they are given purchase coupons which are numbered. Every article in the dis- play is also numbered. The person holding the lucky number gets the article so numbered in the central display. A modification is to number the advertising circulars which are sent broad- cast through the surrounding trade territory and the person bringing in a cir- cular bearing the number of any article in the display of "give-away articles,", secures the article so numbered without any additional cost to him. The adver- tising circulars contain the individual advertisements of each and every partici- pating store. Still another modification is where each merchant retains the articles which he has given in his own store, places his own numbers on them and has his own set of numbers in his individual advertisement in the circular. 66 City Building Another plan which has for its value uniqueness is to advertise thoroughly throughout the country the expression,, "Button, button, who's got the button?" A little later thousands of celluloid buttons are distributed bearing a number and also Uie dates of the sale period, when the merchants are conducting this particular campaign. A day or two before the buttons are distributed, thousands of pieces oC advertising matter are sent broadcast This advertisement carries the catcli' phrase, "Button, button, who's got the button?" and explains the meaning of it ; that the buttons will be distributed in a very short time ; that each button will be numbered : that each merchant participating in the campaign has a num-^ her of articles distributed through his store which are also numbered, and that the person holding a button with the same number as on any of the articles^ may present that button and receive the article free of all cost to him. Another plan is for the merchants to prescribe that during a certain period of time, every purchase of every customer on one certain day will be refunded The value of this plan is that it has an element of mystery, in that no customed knows what day the amount of the sales will be refunded An auditing committee has general charge of the entire sales period The advertising campaign is conducted in like manner to the others. The merchant reports each day to the auditing committee the amount of his sales. Each mer- chant takes the name and address of each customer. On this same slip is listed the total amount of purchases made by that customer in that store. Each mer- chant turns over to the auditing committee the customers' names after the cam- paign closes. The auditing committee selects that day of the period when the total sales amount to the least money and this is the day selected when all cash sales will be refunded The auditing committee notifies each participating merchant of the day so selected and then each merchant in a letter addressed to the customer encloses •his check for the amount of the customer's sales in his store. Instead of the merchant refunding to each customer, it is sometimes found advisable to have the auditing committee mail one check to each customer to- gether with a letter felicitating him upon being among the fortunate ones. The feature of this modification is that a customer purchasing goods from a numbclr of different stores, will get one check to cover the total amount of his purchases. The idea prevailing throughout all the souvenir or premium campaigns is "Something for Nothing " which has never lost its value, but rather has in- creased as a part of a successful selling plan. Extension of Retail Trade 67 VI Trains are Packed on Inbound Ezciinion Days Wherever conducted inbound trade excursioitB have proven successful in increasing retail trade. The object of these and the refund of fare campaign is to put the out-of-town customer on the same basis as the city resident The retailer realizes that if he can overcome the hesitancy of the rural resi- dent of making the trip to the city he will be able to secure that trade because of his finer and larger stock of gooQs. The Merchants Association of Indianapolis conducts a strong campaign of this character. Of course Indianapolis is admirably well situated for the success of such an enterprise because of the large number of traction lines which radiate from that city. Nevertheless there are many other cities in the country which also have traction lines, but this mode of transportation is not necessary for the success of inbound excursions. They can be operated satisfactorily upon thei steam roads. The Merchants Association of Indianapolis advertises throughout the sur- rounding territory that certain days are to be known as "free excursion days." The association charters special cars on the traction lines and no matter what the regular fare may be, that fare is cut to ten cents. When the passengei' boards the car at any place along the line, he pays his ten cents to the conductoi^ who in turn gives the passenger a check, or receipt, for the fare. When the customer reaches the city, he presents the receipt to any of the stores of the Merchants Association, who will, whether or not any purchases are made by him, refund to the passenger his ten cents. The object in charging anything at all is to get the customer into the stx>re and it is very seldom that the visitor will demand the return of his ten cekits without making some purchases. In Erie, Pennsylvania, a somewhat similar plan is conducted. Here it is called "suburban day." One day out of every week is selected as "subtyrban day." The principle one is conducted at the opening of the "Fall Style Show." The plan is conducted by the commercial organization. The merchants meet every week at a luncheon for the purpose of planning the events of the pro^ gramme for the next week. They always try to give the country customers something attractive and entertaining each week in order to draw them into thei city. No refunding of fares is done like the Indianapolis plan. The publicity throughout the surrounding country is very thorough. With the steam roads, it is a little more difficult to conduct inbound exicur- sions on the reduced fare plan. It can be done, however, by getting the railroad lines to agree to carry passengers into the city from certain points withaul; tickets. The conductors record the number of passengers so coming. The merchants also have a representative to check the conductor. All these ticketfei are paid for from the merchants' co-operative fund It is well where such a campaign is new to try out one section of territory at a time. Each excursioii will give many valuable suggestions for the next one. These excursions are of little benefit without systematic publicity. This campaign cannot be too thorough. By this expression it is not necessarily meant 68 City Building that the publicity should be general. Every effort should be made to pick the visitors. This is done by special invitations sent out to a select list Accomi-^ panying these invitations, transportation tickets are sent. This is found to be;, a very good method for regulating the size of the excursion. One objection to this plan is, that it is very easy to overlook some very good customers. Every effort should be made to compile as careful a list as possible. A large number of names can be secured from the various merchants themselves, but as the plan ia to secure new customers, other names must be added to the list. A very satis- factory mailing list of the best people in the various communities and rural disT tricts can be compiled from telephone directories. Other names can be added, from the county assessment rolls. The assessment roll gives a very good indica- tion of the worth of the people also. Most cities have found it inadvisable to use advertising space in the country newspapers, for the reason that the best people are not likely to take advantage of the "free excursion" so advertised. The plan is most successful when operated as nearly exclusively as possible. The visitors are thus made to fee) that their invitations are personal favors from the merchants. In summing up the articles on the extension of retail trade, tihere is one thought which stands out the most prominent of all. It is vitally neccessary to have the co-operation of the merchants. The old fable of the bundle of sticks is most applicable in this case. The resources of the individual merchant ar«| limited. But when he combines his effort with those of his neighbors, his re- sources are multiplied many times over. It is very expensive for him to cover his own county properly with his advertising. Yet when all the merchants co- operate, they are able to cover not only their own county but also all of th^ territory within a radius of fifty or more miles. It is true that when the mer- chant advertises alone, he gets the whole benefit of that advertisement, while in the co-operative plan he takes his chances on securing his customers from all the visitors attracted by the co-operative advertising. The co-operative plan therefore is not recommended so much for local advertising as it is for the reaching out into new territory for new trade. Extension of Wholesale Trade 69 CHAPTER 6 EXTENSION OF WHOLESALE TRADE How to Conduct Trade Excursions The term "Trade Excursion" is used to denote the trips which many com- mercial organizations are promoting for the benefit of the wholesale and job- bing interests and manufactories in the extension of the market for the sale of their products. These trips bring the heads of houses into a closer, personal touch with their customers. Of course, the customer knows the traveling repre- sentative and is on a cordial, personal basis witli him, but ordinarily he does not know the head or heads of the concern from which he buys. The trade excursion serves as the medium of introduction and thereafter the customer naturally takes a more personal interest in the concern. His business will be that much harder for a competitor to secure and the rule proves the assertion that the volume of his former orders will show a material Increase. These excursions afford an excellent opportunity for handling cus- tomer's complaint43. They serve to give the heads of houses a closer in- sight into the character and conditions surrounding his customers. They have great value as a means of developing new territory. The wholesale and jobbing interests of some cities have been more than doubled since the inauguration of these trips. A body of business men coming into a city by special train cannot help but force attention to them- selves and their wares. The trade excursion is also a valuable medium for giving publicity to a city. Stereopticon and moving picture outfits are frequently car- ried and lectures given explaining the advantages and resources of the city. Pictures of the various wholesale establishments, manufactories, their facilities for handling business with dispatch and carefulness and. the kind of goods handled can hardly be beat for selling arguments. Among those cities conducting the most ambitious of the trade ex- cursions may be mentioned, €hicago, Omaha, Salt Lake iCJlty, and Port- land, Oregon. The trips taken by these cities and others are of several days duration and cover thousands of miles of territory. They travel in their special train of Pullman sleepers and carry one or more dining cars. One or more baggage cars are also a part of the train equipment. In these are stored the advertising matter, the moving picture and stereopticon apparatus, samples of goods, souvenirs and all other matter which is to be distributed. These excursions bring the heads of houses closer together. They become one great family during the trip, get well acquainted and learn thoroughly the value of co-operation. Many a big plan for city advance- ment has been hatched on trade excursions. Where the excursions cover a large territory, they are promoted once a year. A number of cities, however, make the practice of cutting the Itinerary up into sections. 70 Crry Building Instead of one big excnralon, several are run of from one to three dasrs In length. It is claimed for this method that the men do not get as weary as on the longer trips and consequently are able to more thor- oughly work the territory visited. The railroads will be found to co-operate liberally with the promoters. They will give low rates for the special train. The usual practice with them is to grant a low round trip rate, with the provlson that a minimum of one hundred tickets will be sold. All tickets over the minimum are sold at the same price, the additional revenue going to the railroad. Where dining cars and sleepers are used, either one of two methods are In use. iElther the railroad furnishes the sleepers and dining cars In which table d'hote meals are served and the cost of these accommoda- tions are included in the price of each ticket, or the railroads furnish the cars which are chartered by the promoters at a set figure per car per day and the promoters in turn resell the berths, stock the dining car and serve meals a la carte. There are many instances where trade excursions for a single day are effectively used, and a number of them conducted during the year. This plan is very satisfactory for covering nearby territory. They are also much cheaper. The usual equipment for the train for a one-day trip is several day coaches and one or more baggage cars. A very good way with such an excursion is to stock a portion of one of the baggage cars with provis- ions and from it serve a lunch. Some cities conduct one-day excursions on 'their interurban lines. Advance arrangements are made for the meals at points along the line. In every case where the trade excursion is conducted a thoroughly planned publicity campaign is propagated before the excursion. The heads of houses furnish the promoters with a list of their customers In the territory to be visited. Additional names are added to the mailing list from all available sources. Letters are sent out to these people notifying them of the visit. The heads of houses also write to their customers. The promoters very often make a special trip over the route a week or two ahead of the excursion for the purpose of making arrangements in the various towns for public meetings and such other details, besides thoroughly advertis- ing the excursion through the newspapers of the towns to be visited. This always proves to be worth the additional expense in securing more publicity and attention to the excursionists. Extension of Wholesale Trade 71 11 How to Organize and Conduct a Credit Association The purpose of ci credit association is to protect its members from fraudulent persons, to secure and keep reports on the credit of indiyld- uals, firms, and corporations, to handle collections for members, and, in short, to do any and all things necessary and incident to the establishment and maintenance of files of credit information for the benefit of the mem- bers of the association. (Many of the cities conduct such associations as a department of the commercial organization with great success. Such a system is of comparatively recent origin, however, and a grreat many cities have their credit associations as separate and distinct organizations. They are many times incorporated bodies, organized and operated by one or more individuals for a profit. This article, however, will treat of the credit association as a mutual proposition and as a department of the commercial organization. Although this article is included under the general subject of "She- tension of Wholesale Trade," that does not necessarily mean that the wholesale interests of a community are the only interests which receive benefits from such an association. To the contrary, in most places where the credit associations exist, the retailer receives as much if not more benefit than the wholesaler. To organize one, an agreement is secured from as many of the busi- ness institutions of a city as possible that they will enter into such an association and will abide by the rules and regulations of the organiza- tion. They agree to stand their pro rata share of the expense of financing the association and also to furnish to the manager any and all information in their possession concerning their customers when demanded by the manager. Of course, this information is strictly confidential. Even one member asking for credit information concerning some particular person does not know from whom that information comes. Only the manager and his office force know who gives it. The best man for the position of manager is someone who has had experience in securing credit reports and who has a knowledge of the office mechanism of a credit association. However, there is nothing in the business which requires technical training as in the case af a trafiiic expert for handling railroad matters. The beginning of the association's work is rather difficult. A vast deal of card indexing is required at the outset. All of the members of the association are requested to furnish a complete list of their credit cus- tomers. On this list are also included notations as to whether each cus- tomer is excellent, good, fair, slow, very slow paying, or a dead beat; also the amount of heaviest indebtedness to that merchant at any one time, and all other information concerning the credit-standing of that cus- tomer In the knowledge of the merchant. All of this information is transferred to a card index system. The cards are separated in two classes — one of customers of retail stores and the other the patrons of the wholesale establishments. 72 City Building With the Installation of this card index system arranged elphabet- ically, the association is ready to begin furnishing information. A mer- chant wishing information concerning some one. calls up the association. If the association has a card on that individual, the information is quickly given, but in the event the customer is a new resident, it will require a longer time to secure the information. In that case the manager will ascertain the former residence of the Individual. He will write to the credit association In that other commu- nity, receive the credit standing of the customer there and give the In- formation to the merchant making the inquiry. At the same time the association will enter that report upon a card and file It for future refer- ence. When the association is organized, a membership in the National Association of Credit Men should be ^applied for. For information con- cerning people or business firms in nearly every part of the country this membership will secure it. A full list of members of the National Asso- ciation is filed with each member and each membership entitles the holder to the privilege of exchanges of credit information. Another use of the credit association is for the collection of bad bills. After the merchant has exhausted the resources at his command in this direction he can turn over to the association the claim for collection. The association has the right to go to any legal extremity in the collec- tion of the bill. When the claim Is collected the association remits to the merchant the amount less expenses and commission which goes into the general maintenance fund of the association. The association also Issues to every member a daily report of the fil- ing of suits, mortgages, deeds and other court records which may have a bearing upon the credit standing of individuals or firms. After the association has been in existence for a year or two, its files will furnish information concerning the credit of nearly every individual In the community and nearly every business concern throughout the whole- sale trade territory tributary to the city. The association can with profit to itself issue a rate book in which is shown the credit rating of the people whose names are in the association files. Such a book is found invaluable to the business men of the community because on the Individuals listed it gives Information of similar character as Dunn or Bradstreet's reports on business enterprises. The maintenance of a crodlt association will not be found to be costly in comparison to its value in the protection of the merchants and safe- guarding them against the constant danger of contracting bad debts. Extension of Wholesale Trade 73 III How to Increase Market by Advertising in New Territory Practically every wholesale house sells its wares through traveling salesmen. Most of them depend entirely upon their work for orders. Many more back up their representatives with various kinds of publicity campaigns, the most familiar of which is the follow-up system of letters. In using this method, the wholesale house writes to the dealer in ad- vance of the traveling man's visit notifying them that their Mr. will call on them on or about a certain date and that the house bespeaks for him attention to his sample line of goods. If the house is introduc- ing some new brand of goods to the trade, the letter calls particular notice to these goods In such a manner as to excite the curiosity and arouse the interest of the dealer to see them. The salesman always finds a more cordial reception when this letter precedes him and it serves to show the customer that the house is r^eally after the business and that his orders will be appreciated. When the salesman sends in an order, the house at once writes a letter of appreciation to the customer. If an order does not come in from some other dealer upon whom the salesman called, the salesman in his report to the house tells why he did not get the order. Then the house writes to that dealer giving additional selling arguments, straightening out complaints or otherwise covering the information given by the sales- man. In a short time a second letter is forwarded to the dealer, then a third, and so on until the salesman is making that territory again. Again the salesman calls and he will find a more cordial reception than before. It is altogether possible that by reason of the letters from the house the dealer Has already sent in an order. Throughout the letter campaign every available excuse is used for writing to the dealer. Every message he receives serves to keep him in closer touch with the house. Many wholesalers use the letter method effectively for the distribution of small pieces of advertising matter. The letter campaign was used by a certain manufacturer of tobacco in introducing a new product or brand. The salesman in calling upon the dealer proposed to hfm to sell the first dollar's worth of his order. The dealer was asked for a list of twenty of his customers whom he con- sidered might like the new brand. The factory wrote to these twenty people inviting them to try the tobacco at the factory's expense and en- closing a card which was redeemable at the dealer's store for one full piece of five cent goods. The dealer turned in all cards taken up and the factory credited his account with the five cent value of each card returned The manufacturer redeemed an average of 6,000 of these cards a week for the first six months and the plan was the means of securing a steady sale of the goods. Another method in use quite generally is that of newspaper and bill board advertising for introducing goods into a new territory. The dis- 74 City Building tribntlng house usually makes the amount of such publicity dependent upon the size of the orders received in the community. Closely allied to this method are the special window displays which are put in by the whole- saler's representatives in the dealer's establishment. A great deal of good can be accomplished toward increasing the gen- eral wholesale market of a city by the co-operative effort of the whole- salers and the city's commercial organization. This is a most effective way in which to develop new territory. The wholesalers and the commercial organizations compile statistics showing the various goods carried by the different houses; the advantages of the city over the competing cities in freight rates, in quick delivery, in ease of access and other good selling points. This information is then disseminated throughout the territory to be developed. There are many ways in which this work can be done. A trade excursion into that territory is very good, during which trip the members of the party distribute the advertising matter containing the in- formation suggested above and also personally talking these same points to the dealers. A systematic campaign of letter and printed publicity is also produc- tive of good results. Such a campaign Is conducted on the follow-up plan during the'extent of which the advantages of the city's wholesale market are forcibly pointed out. The campaign, or rather the arguments, should get stronger and stronger as the follow-up progresses and should, in its entirety, be overwhelmingly convincing. By no means tell the whole story in the first letter. It is far better to make each letter cover thoroughly some one advantage. Newspaper publicity is also effectively used in the new territory for creating a demand on the part of the consumer for these goods handled exclusively in the market of the city doing the advertising. Bill board advertising is also effective for the same purpose. The expenses of developing new territory through publicity are borne by the co-operative subscriptions of all the wholesalers, commission brokers, manufacturers and Jobbers in the market. The work is usually conducted through the city's commercial organization which usually has a committee in charge of the entire campaign from the raising of the finances down to the contracting for the publicity and the payment of the bills. Such a campaign, however, will bring very little permanent good to the market unless it is consistently followed up by the individual houses. They must be ready to put their traveling salesmen into the field imme- diately in order to secure the benefits from the campaign. They must go after the business which has been created, and. keep after it in order to offset the added efforts of their competitors to win back a market which they have lost. Extension of Wholesale Trade 75 IV How to Secure More Wholesale Houses for the Market It goes without saying that the more wholesale houses carrying a larger assortment of goods that a market has the better is that tnarktet. The city that can boast of a hundred houses, distributing nearly as many different classes of products is in a much better position to do more busi- ness, cover more territory, and attract many more wholesale customers than the city which has only fifty houses selling half as many classes of goods. >An inventory of the wholesale houses will show the needs of the market in additional houses to handle other goods necessary to complete a well-rounded market. Many dealers prefer to visit the market and make purchases in the houses themselves rather than to buy from sam- ples. These trips they usually make twice a year, in the spring and in the fall. During the balance of the year they rely on the traveling sales- men to book their orders for replenishing their stocks. These dealers con- tend that they can buy to better advantage by seeing the stocks of the distributing houses, not only in saving money, but also in securing a better selection of goods. Therefore, the dealer of this class prefers to go to that market where he can make the most purchases of different classes of goods, especially If he lives in a small community and handles a stock of general mer- chandise. Consequently, he will go to the dty with a hundred distribut- ing houses in preference to the city with only fifty houses, if the expenses of the trip and other conditions are nearly equal. A well rounded market, therefore, lEf more to be desired than great size as a primary requisite. The first efforts of the dty towards increas- ing its wholesale market should be directed toward securing the location of houses handling wares not sold at the present time or procure the handling of the goods by some one of the houses already In the market. The information desired upon which to base the efforts to secure the additional houses will Include much of the data obtained In making the Inventory suggested above. Additional information will cover figures showing present annual volume of business, the territory covered by the present market, the shipping facilities of the city, a comparison of freight rates to various points in the trade territory and to competing points, the trade territory which should be tributary to the city, together with its population, the number of dealers located in that territory, their gen- eral reputation and standing as customers, the class of trade which will buy» and other data of a similar character. A good way in which to secure inquiries about such locations is to use the letter system. Secure a mailing list from 'Dunn's or iBradstreet's commercial reports. Write to large distributors of the goods wanted. In- vite these concerns to investigate the city's opportunities for a branch house. 76 City Building Enclose In the first letter a postal with return address and on the other side a list of subjects or arguments In favor of the location based upon the Information suggested above. This method makes It easy for the recipient to reply. He will check the particular subjects in which he Ifi Interested. The prospect is followed up consistently. The information asked Is first given and this is followed by additional letters and printed advertis- ing matter at regular intervals until he is located or his case becomes hopeless. This is perhaps the least expensive of all plans for Interesting the prospect. A plan which is like the above outline, except in the way in which the prospect is first secured, is the ?idvertising of the city's needs In the trade journals and other periodicals. The same sort of follow-up is used after the prospect has answered the advertisement. Another very good plan Is to visit the trade centers of the products desired in the market. This is more expensive, but It has the advantage of having the city's representative right on the ground to interest the prospect by personal magnetism and to answer his questions at once while his interest is alive and unabated. If a boot and shoe house is wanted, a trip to the large factories may very probably interest a young member of some firm not only in the jobbing business, but in the location of a fac- tory in which to make the market'g shoes. One successful location will repay a city the expense of securing and nego- tiating with scores of prospects. The writer has in mind one city which worked on sixty-five propositions before securing a single location. Another method many times adopted to locate additional wholesale houses is where the wholesalers already doing business in the market club together with other citizens, organize a stock company, secure a manager and start the business themselves. The one thing to be attentive to in such a case is to surely have sufiicient capital In the enterprise to carry it through the first year or two. No matter how located, the new house will find the other wholesalers anxious for their success, because It helps their own business and they usually issue Instructions to their traveling salesmen to let the trade know of the existence of the new house, and to boo^ their goods, some of them even taking orders for them. After the market has been rounded out, the same line of procedure will secure more houses in the market handling the same class of goods. This also strengthens the market because the dealer knows he will buy In that market under competition. Of course, the larger a market grows, the greater Its natural attrac- tive power for other concerns, which will not have to be sought, but which will locate of their own free will. Extension op Wholesale Trade 11 V The Relation of the Wholesale Interests to the Railroads The wholesale Interests of any community and the railroads operat- ing in and out of that community are each dependent one upon the other for business, more business, and better business; therefore, the relation between the two interests should be most cordial. Both should work together for their mutual advantage and benefit. The quicker some communities come to realize that they cannot get along without the railroads, and the quicker some railroads awake to the knowledge that their showings of Increased earnings is dependent upon the amount of business they secure from the towns and cities on their lines, the sooner will both learn a vital fundamental of success in the structure of their business policy. The reader has probably noticed the frequent use of the term "co-operation'" in this book. It is a peculiar thing, but it would be impossible to treat such sub- jects as problems in city building if the word "co-operation" were missing from the language. Just so it is impossible to accomplish material results in this line of endeavor without a practical application of the term. Co-operation must be secured from the citizens of a community which expects to progress. So between the railroads and the wholesale interests there must exist a spirit of co-operation, if a truly successful increase in the market is to he. Not co-operation in name, but in deed. Not co-operation on the sur- face which is made the burden of thought of the annual banquet orator, while the real underlying conditions is a continual wrangle between the railroads and its shippers, but real, genuine hand-in-hand co-operation — the kind where both interests meet each other half way and always show a willingness to give and take. iSuch a condition is not unreasonable. The wholesaler must have the railroad to transport his goods to and fro over the country. The railroad must have the wholesaler to fill its freight cars and keep them from filling up Its miles of side-tracks. Both do business for a monetary profit. There- fore It is to the interest of both to work together. Some cities which realize the importance of such a condition accom- plish the result of securing that co-operation by having joint meetings at regular intervals between the shippers and the railroad representatives. At these meetings discussions are had of different transportation problems. The meetings also take on a social character, and are the means of secur- ing the closer acquaintanceship of both interests. In the discussions, the opinions of all are frankly expressed, which leads to a better understand- ing on all sides. Any shipper or railroad representative has the privilege of introduc- ing any subject for discussion. If some shipper believes that the estab- lishment of a package car service between that city and some other points would be the means of increasing trade, he brings the matter up and the railroads are asked for their views. '- 78 City Building The usual reply is, "Show us sufficient business and we will establish the service." The railroads may desire the views of the shippers upon some new rule or regulation they wish to put into effect. These meetings serve a splendid means for securing those views. The city may want different hours of closing of freight depots. The shippers may experience a con- gestion in the handling of the freight by the railroads which can only be relieved by additional loading platforms, train sheds and yard tracks. All such questions are Introduced in these joint meeting^s and plans for their solution are started toward success before adjournment is taken. There are times when it may prove necessary to assert the rights of the shippers in no uncertain terms. Some change may be necessary which the railroads will not care to make. In such a case the shippers should decide that such an innovation is necessary and then endeavor to obtain the same through amicable treaties. If such a course of procedure fails, then any and all other fair methods should be adopted. It may take considerable time to secure the change by amicable ne- gotiation, but it should be used as long as there remains a single ray of hope for success. Some cities have sought to secure changes or improve* ments from the railroads by the boycott method. This might be good if it worked. It is a very hard matter to ^et any appreciable num-ber of slhip- pers to stand together for any sustained period of time in a railroad boy- cott when they are at all inconvenienced thereby. By far the better way is to point out to the railroads the needed improvements, show them how they will be benefited thereby in increased traffic and by persuasion and force of argument compel them to make the improvements. The railroads will make improvements to take care of increased busi- ness. The importance of Bome change, however, may be overlooked. This is where the shipping interests show their co-operation to advantage. Throughout all such dealings there is constant danger, in the face of so much adverse talk throughout the nation against the railroads, that the shippers and the railroads will misunderstand each other when the demands are made by one or the other. To avoid such a condition, the shippers should consider well the validity of their demands before making them and take pains in presenting the same that the railroad represent- atives thoroughly understand the reasons for the demands. Such a course of procedure toward the railroad on the part of a com- munity as outlined above will soon show the railroads the spirit of fair- ness of the shippers and then no demand will be submitted but what the rail- roads will not only give it careful consideration, but will also endeavor to remedy their fault Extension op Wholesale Trade 79 VI How to Secure Increased Trade by Buyers* Excursions Buyers' excursions bear practically the same relation to the whole- salers as the plan of refunding fares to out-of-town customers does to the re- tailers. The same advantaRes are arRued for both and both have like dd^d- vantages. The purpose of the buyers* excursions is to get out-of-town merchants to visit the market in person. The wholesaler realizes that if he can get the retail customer into his house where he is surrounded by a tremendous stock of goods, he has a much better chance to sell him a large bill than if the merchant bought from the necessarily small sample line carried by the house's traveling representative. Besides, when the merchant visits the house, he meets the heads of the concern and naturally he is a little more inclined to deal more extensively with them because of that personal equation, while, at the same time, the heads of the houses are better able to judge the character of this customer after meeting him. iMost of the large distributing centers, such as New York, Chicago, and St. Louis, conduct these buyers' excursions upon a large scale, re- funding fares of buyers who come, sometimes, from the extremes of the continent. Following this lead, the smaller places are now doing the same thing throughout their trade territory. In fact, some of the very small cities which boast of even one or two wholesale houses have adopted the plan in order to attract trade. In New York, the various wholesale houses advertise their buyers* excursions very extensively throughout the country a short time prior to the opening of the various busdng seasons. The main dependence in this publicity campaign is the personal letter to former customers and to other dealers whose accounts are desired. The buyer goes to the city, inspects goods and makes his purchases. His bill is totaled and he receives a state- ment from the seller showing the amount of goods purchased. He proceeds to other houses, buying all the goods he needs or desires, receiving from each his statement of amounts purchased. He also has a list of all concerns who are participants in this refunding of fares. If he purchases from wholesalers not in this list, he receives no refund on such purchases. After the buyer has completed his purchases, he goes to the office of the secretary of the merchants' association, presents the statements of his purchases, and, if the total of all is sufficient to meet the scale, his trans- portation is refunded. If his purchases do not meet the scale^ he rec^ves a proportionate rebate. The scale spoken of shows the amount of goods which it is necessary to purchase in order to receive a refund of his transportation. This re- fund is generally about two per cent of the purchases up to the amount paid by the buyer for transportation. In a big city like New York a serious objection to the plan was dis- covered in that many buyers would rather lose this discount or refund 8Q City Building rather than go from one section of the city to another in order to present his statements of purchases to the secretary of the association. This fea- ture of the plan has caused a considerable amount of dissatisfaction on the part of the buyers. Many of the wholesalers, therefore, have in recent years made a practice of refunding direct to the buyer the amount of re- fund due because of his purchases in that house. This modification is fast taking the place of the old form. The publicity campaign, of course, is financed by the co-operative subscriptions of all dealers entering the campaign. The amount of these subscriptions are conditioned upon the size of each concern; that is, the amount of business done by each. The money paid out by the secretary in refunds Is collected from all the houses whose buyers' statements are turned in by the buyers. Of course, these amounts are prorated among the wholesalers, so that the house which sells twice the amount of goods as some other house, pays twice as much on the refunding of fares as that other house. This same plan, with some few modifications, is the one in general use by the other cities. One modification, which may be termed an arbi- trary one, has been successf ally tried. It is to limit the coming of the buyer to the city to one certain day from one section of territory. It is advertised that if a buyer shows his ticket purchased at his home station on a specified date as indicated by the date stamped on the ticket, he is entitled to the benefit of the discount which will be in the form of a refund of his fare. This plan has proven of worth in developing new territory. In connection with this refund of fare campaign a number of cities conduct buyers' conventions and expositions. New Orleans has made a great success of such occasions and the buy- ers throughout that city's trade territory look forward with keen antici- pation to them. The expositions are in the nature of style shows, the lat- est things in all the various classes of goods. The convention sessions are made famous for the exchanging of ideas for mutual benefit and usually one or more lecturers who are authorities in their respective fields are secured to discuss vital questions in the business world. With such an educational opportunity presented, together with the cutting of the ex- penses of the trip to the minimum, there is little wonder that the buyers are greatly attracted by these events. Street Building and Cleaning 81 CHAPTER 7 STREET BUILDING AND CLEANING An Educational Campaign fob Better Streets Never before has there been such attention paid to better street-paving as there is today. But many cities find difficulty in securing such improveme^nts, not only because of an apathy on the part of the majority of citizens but also because of the opposition created by some property holders who are fighting not against the new streets but against the additional expense. There can be absolutely no question as to the tremendous value of well- paved streets in any city. There is no argument whatsoever against the fact that improved streets greatly enhance the value of abutting property. But the question is how to get them. The only way in which it can be done is by means of an educational campaign. The logical manner of conducting such a campaign is through the city's commercial organization. It is wholly within its province and one of its strong- est standing committees should be the Street Building Committee. If the com- mercial organization takes up the fight for the betterment of the city's streets, the battle is well on its way to victory, because the membership of the organiza- tion comprises the leading business and professional men of the community. Some cases have been found, however, where the commercial organization, for some reason or other, did not desire to prosecute such a propaganda. In some of these instances, the newspapers of the community have conducted successful campaigns, while in others the city administration, headed by the Mayor and the Board of Public Works, or the Street Department, has so mould- ed public sentiment as to succeed in securing the passage of a street-improve- ment bond issue. The best way, however, is to conduct the campaign through the commercial organization. This institution can secure the support of all forces working for progress in the community, the city administration, the newspapers and the lay-citizen. A considerable amount of preparation should be done before a single g«*n is fired. Write to other cities, to their commercial organizations, for a state- ment of the kind of streets they have, the number of miles of paved streets, the methods used to secure them, not only the preliminary campaign but also the method of financing such operations. Secure all possible data on the subject, including the names and addresses of prominent men who can be had for speeches and special publications treating the subject of street-paving. In 1910 the Department of Commerce and Labor issued a bulletin on "Commercial Planning of Certain Cities of Europe." Valuable in- formation on street-improvement will be found in this and in other bulletins issued by this Department. Photographs of street-improvement in other cities, showing conditions before and after will be found very effective object lessons. After the data is compiled, secure estimates of cost from street-contractors for building streets of different materials such as granite, asphalt and wood blocks, sheet asphalt, brick, bitulithic composition and other materials. A good way to start the campaign is to secure from a number of the most prominent citizens of the community interviews in favor of street improvement 82 City Building If possible secure many of the Izrge property holders. At the beginning of the campaign ift will be much more difficult to secure these interviews than aftkir the campaign has reached fever heat Secure the support of the newspapers and have the interviews printed in them. Do not use all of them in one issue of the papers. Accompany those you do use with an article showing the need for such improvements in your city. From the time you use your first story, you should have something on the subject every day. Slowly, interest will be engendered and citizens will line up either for or against the move- ment Cards will probably be written by some of those of the opposition. Pay no attention to these unless they have real merit Keep right on with publicity. As soon as sufficient interest is created to guarantee an audience, call a mass meeting of citizens to be addressed by your own townsmen. Then begin with your data secured from other cities. Use it in the news- papers freely. If possible, have the photographs which you have gathered made into stereopticon slides, prepare a lecture on the subject and have another mass meeting at which the pictures will be shown and explained. This will be found to be one of the most effective features of the whole campaign. These slides can then be used in the picture shows of the city. A statistical article, or series of them, showing how street improvements enhance the value of abutting property will be found effective. All through the campaign, work as closely with the city administration as possible. Before the campaign is begun, every effort should be made to 'secure the unquestioned sup- port of the city officials. When the campaign is well under way, a strong committee of the business men of the community should be appointed to devise ways and means o!f financing the building of the streets and to make a report on the question of materials to be used. The report of this committee should be presented at another mass meeting and action taken upon it Preparations should be made at this meeting to carry the plan of financing to the legislature for authority to proceed. Then you must prepare for another campaign of moulding public sentiment, if the question has to be voted upon by the people, as in the case of a bond issue. It will be found advisable to intersperse a number of mass meetings through- out the campaign to be addressed by speakers secured from other cities where successful improvements have been made. These speakers will do much to awaken civic pride among your people and give them encouragement Street Building and Cleaning 83 II Materials for Building Improved Streets The material with which a street is to be improved depends very largely upon the section of the city in which it is located and the character of traffij: using it. In the residential section where the traffic is light streets do not re- quire as substantial paving as they do in the wholesale district. In the residential section more attention is paid to the lessening of noise, the smoothness of the street-surface and the beauty of the street Some of the most common forms of street construction are granite-, asphalt- and wood-blocks, sheet-'asphak, bitulithic, asphalt-binder, brick and macadam. The granite-blocks and brick are the most usual materials for building streets subject to heavy use, while the other materials are most often used fon the retail and residential sections. Of all, granite-block streets, properly constructed, will have longest life. But they are by far the noisest. Brick, perhaps, comes next both in producing noise and for life. Wood-blocks give a quiet street and have reasonable long life, but without particular care being taken in construction, they are the most treacher- ous to horses. These blocks wear down so smooth that, when they are sprinkled or after a shower, it is almost impossible for a horse to stand up on them. They must be constructed with practically no crown at all, or as flat as possible to give drainage. Sheet asphalt is the most popular material for the construction of streets in the retail and residential sections. Bitulithic is also used very extensively. Both wear well with light traffic and produce nearly the minimum of noise. Asphalt- binder and macadam are both good for temporary streets, that is, where a re- construction is expected to follow within a few years. The expense of building these two kinds of streets is the least of all. An accepted method of constructing a granite-block street is as follows: Excavate the bed of the street to a depth of fifteen or sixteen inches. Level* the street bed and roll it with a heavy steam-roHer. Mix a mediumly stiff con- crete and fill in to a depth of six to eight inches. After this has formed a per- fect union throughout the street-bed, fill in with fine sand to a depth of one to two inches. This forms a cushion for the granite blocks to rest upon. Now the blocks are laid in separately in just the position each belongs. When the blocks are so placed a portion of the sand from beneath slips in be- tween the blocks and keeps them slightly apart. At intervals of about fifty feet a little wider interstice is made to serve as an expansion joint. This operation is followed up by filling the interstices with either melted tar or cement grout The purpose of both is to serve as a binder to hold the blocks together into one mass. Tar is the easier to use correctly as great care must be exercised to have the grout of uniform consistency. No matter which binder is used, the expansion joints are filled with tar in order to take up the swelling of the street during a warm spell of weather. Expansion joints are also most always laid Along the gutter. The method of construction for brick streets is practically the same. In both granite and brick* streets, the length of the blocks runs across the street 84 City Building and not with the street, while, in streets where car tracks are located, between the rails and for, usually, eighteen inches on either side, the blocks are laid with the rails. With sheet-asphalt a concrete base is laid in like manner as for brick streets. On this is spread several inches of stone crushed to half the size of an tgg. This stone is cooked in tar long enough for the tar to thoroughly permeate every pore and crack of the stone. This layer is rolled with the steam roller. Then a layer of coarse asphalt is put on and thoroughly rolled. On top of this comes the last layer, asphalt of finer grain. This is rolled, over and over again, until the surface is as smooth as a cement sidewalk. Around all of the manholes, along the gutters and the bricks near the car tracks, hand ironers precede the roller smoothing out all joinings. The last operation is to sand the surface and close the street to traffic for a day or two. Bitulithic is a patented process very much like asphalt-binder but more wearing and is generally better. Asphalt-binder is constructed by putting down a layer of coarsely crushed rock, followed by other layers more finely crushed. The top layer is about the size of pea-gravel. Over this is poured hot tar which soaks through the entire mass and binds all together. This is thoroughly rolled also. The crushed rock is often cooked in tar before being placed on the street Macadam is built like the asphalt-binder street with the exception that no tar is used. The different layers are put down and rolled before the next layei* is spread. This is the poorest wearing of all of the improved streets but lis found very satisfactory in sections of cities where there is very little traffic oif where temporary improvements are desired. To recapitulate, granite-blocks and brick streets are most common in sec- tions of cities where heavy hauling is the rule. Brick and sheet-asphalt are the most popular materials for streets in the retail sections. Sheet-asphalt and bitulithic are used more than other materials for streets in the residential districts. Street Building and Cleaning 85 III How to Build Streets Under the Ten Year Plan The Ten- Year Plan of financing street construction is so called to distin- guish it from bond issues. So often difficulties are experienced in securing bond issues and for a long time some other method has been sought. The term bond issue has a very serious meaning to the average tax-payer. No matter how low the taxes of a city may be, any effort to secure improvements by in,- creasing the taxes always meets with strong opposition and the majority of cases submitted to the vote of the people fail of carrying by the proper majority. Often a city finds itself handicapped and unable to issue more bonds because its bonded indebtedness has already reached the limit. The Ten-Year Plan, in a very large measure, relieves such a condition. The construction of svreets under this plan, however, places the burden of cost upon the abutting property-owners, while the bond issue is borne by all the tax- payers of the city. There is a wide difference of opinion on this question of who should bear the cost of such improvements. Those who support the con- tention that the abutting property-owner should pay the bill argue that the prop- erty is greatly enhanced in value and that those property-owners enjoy the direct benefit of the constiniction. The opposition contends that the whole city derives the benefit; that the man who lives on an unimproved street should be called upon to pay his proportion of the cost of street-building for the privi- lege of using the improved street; and that the property of the entire city is enhanced in value because of the street improvement. A simple statement of the component parts of the Ten- Year Plan is that it provides for the payment of the cost of the construction by the abutting property-owners and further that this cost shall be paid in equal annual install- ments during a period of ten years, with or without interest. If no interest is allowed, it is altogether probable that the contractor will include this interest charge in the cost of the street. It is this fact that causes the serious objection to the plan. It increases the cost of CDnstruction in some cases as high as twenty per cent. The plan in this form gives the contractor little protection. It makes him responsible for the collection of his money. If property-owners refuse to pay, he must bring suit. A modification wili overcome this situation. The city should guarantee the payment of these debts and also pay the interest on the deferred payments. It is easy to see that otherwise the contractor is compelled to make his bid sufficiently high to cover probable loss in the collection of his claims and to cover the interest charges on the defeired payments. The usual method of proceedure is, fiist, to obtain the enactment of a law by the legislature empowering the city to construct streets after this manner. The law provides that the General Council may order the construction of any street, that the cost of such construction shall be borne by the abutting property- owners and that such cost shall be paid in an^iual installments during a perio4 of ten years. In drawing the bill the modification above referred to should be included. This will go a long way in answering the arguments of the opposi- tion. The law so drawn places the greater burden upon the abutting property- owner who enjoys the greater benefit of the improvement and yet requires the fc6 City Building entire citizenry to pay a portion of the cost for the privilege of having and using the improved streets. In Lexington, Kentucky, where many miles of streets have been paved during the last year or two under this plan, another admirable modification, not included in the law, is in force. After the General Council has ordered the construction of a certain street, the Mayor requests the property-owners on that street to select a committee of three of their number who shall act as spokesmen of all during the construction of the street. The Mayor appoints that committee and it acts in conjunction with the General Council, in an ad- visory capacity only, however. The committee obtains from the property own- ers their desires of material for the street, and other important matters. The committee reports to the Joint Improvement Committee of the General Council. The Joint Improvement Committee advertises for bids for the construction of the streets. The citizens' committee meets with the Joint Improvement Committee to open bids. The citizens* committee interviews the property owners on their in- dividual preference of bids and contractors. The result is reported to the Joint Improvement Committee which either excepts or rejects this advice in its recommendation to the General Council. The Joint Improvement Committee recommends to the General Council the acceptance of one of the bids and the General Council usually accepts this recommendation. The contract is drawn up. In this, it is provided that the work shall begin within a certain time, and that the street shall be construcfteid according to certain specifications. The citizens' committee is actively engaged in superintending the construc- tion and reports any matters it wishes to the proper city officials. The citizens* committee passes upon the acceptance of the street It makes i^ommdnda- tions to the Joint Improvement Committee, which also inspects the street and recommends acceptance or non-acceptance to the General Council whose action is final. When the street is accepted, the first payments are made and each and ^very year after that until the ten-year period has expired. This method of street-construction proves very popular as it allows more general improve- ment than the bond issue and it does not increase the tax rate of the city. Street Building and Cleaning 87 IV How to Build Streets Under Bond Issues The bond issue as the means of financing street improvement operations IS the oldest method and is considered by many cities to be the best. It is con- tended that this method is the most stable of any ; that it lessens the cost of improvement in the fact that the contractors are able to secure their money as the work progresses and that it is the easiest way in which to raise the money. While these are decided advantages, this method also has some disadvan- tages. It takes a much more thorough campaign of education to secura the passage of a bond issue for street improvements than it does for the building' of streets under the Ten-Year Plan, for instance. No city can bond itself for more than a certain amount and even if they could, there would be no market for the bonds after a certain limit of bonded debt was reached. The revenue from the sale of the bonds must of necessity be used in certain sections of the city only while the remainder of the city goes without improvement. This also presents another great difficulty in securing the passage of the issue by the vote of the citizens. However, the bond issue is more frequently resorted to than any other method. ^ The first step is to secure the enabling act from the Legislature. A biJl must be prepared authorizing your city to submit the question of bonding itself for a certain amount to the voters of your city. A steering commitltee composed of some of the best of your citizens will accomplish good results in securing action by the Legislature. Preparatons must be made to guarantee the passage of the bond issue when it is voted upon by the voters. An educational campaign must be arranged to begin a few weeks before the election. The campaign should be patterned after the plan given in article one under this chapter. A few days before election it will be found advisable to have a mass meet- ing at which strong committees of citizens are appointed whose duty it shall be to stay at the polls until they close for the purpose of impressing upon the voters the necessity of the bond issue. An efficient organization of this char- acter will do wonders in securing a favorable vote. The city administration has the bonds printed and prepared for sale. Advertisement for the sale of the bonds is made and a date set for the reception of sealed bids. Your local banks can place you in touch with some o£ the best bond-buyers in the country and by writing to these -firms you can often secure additional bids. The bonds are sold to the highest and best bidder. As soon thereafter as the money is forthcoming from this sale, you are ready to begin the constru<;;tio« of the streets. The city administration decides upon the list of streets to be improved, the kind of material to be used and advertises for bids for the con-, tracts. These bids ^re let and the actual construction work is then readrf to begin. It will greatly assist in the passage of the bond issue, if it is understood that a committee of citizens will be appointed to act with the city auJthoritieB 88 City Building in an advisory capacity throughout the construction period as well as through the preliminary period. This citizens' committee plan was more fully treated in the next preceding article in this chapter. For the purpose of eliminatng as far as possbla the objection to the boknd issue that the money is generally expended in certain sections of the city instead of being used throughout, the following suggestion is made: Divide the city into four portions. This division should be made as nearly equal as possible from a geographical standpoint and from the standpoint of assessed valuation of the property. Each portion will meet every other at the intersection of the two chief streets of the city. Therefore, each portion will have nearly an equal share of mileage of streets in the business section. Each one of the four portions should be again divided, taking from each an equal portion of the business streets. Then put these four subdivisions into a fifth portion. You have now divided the city into five parts, but the fifth parft is also contained in the other four. This fifth part is the business section and because of its importance will receive a double portion in the division of the ^•evenue from the bonds. The next step is the division of the money. The total sum derived from ^he bond sale is divided into five equal parts and each part is apportioned to each one of the five districts. In this way all portions of the city receive Ci fair distribution of the funds and each will have a certain amount of street con- struction. The fifth portion, the business section, will have its one-fifth of the whole and a portion of each of the other four divisions. Another plan of distribution is to estimate the total mileage of streets in the city, deduct the mileage of improved streets which gives you the total of unimproved mileage. Then divide the amount of money by this mileage of unimproved streets and you arrive at the amount of money available for building streets per mile. If your funds are sufficient, you can construct them all. If not, you will be compelled to take the most important streets that are unimproved and construct them. The question of street-improvement is a very serious one for all municipali- ties and the city with streets well-paved and kept in a cleanly condition has an asset which can hardly be overestimated. Street Building and Cleaning 89 V Plans for Cleaning Streets "What profiteth it a man, if he gains the whole world, but loses his own soul," and how does it profit a city to spend great sums of money building many miles of splendid streets but allows them to become catch-alls for dirt and refuse? How often is this the case in the American city and, wherever it is seen, it is a blot upon the civic pride of that particular community. To keep the streets clean is strictly the business of the municipality and many methods are in use to accomplish this result. Most cities have their street-cleaning departments, and own their own machinery, such as sweepers, sprinklers, brooms, carts, horses and flushers. They employ their own laborers and do the work under the supervision of a street superintendent. Other cities let out this part of the municipal work by advertised contract. The contractor does the work for an upset price for the year. This plan has one advantage. Under it, the city has no capital tied up in machinery and tools which rapidly depreciate in value. But where the city does its own street-clean- ing, it usually is able to save considerable money. This is easy to be seen, be- cause any contractor before taking the contract is going to see a profit on the work and is also going to put his price at such a figure as to take care of the de- preciation of his plant Where the city ^oes the work or where it is let out by contract, the streot- cleaning is usually done by the following method : There are two shifts of men, the day-shift and the night-shift The day-shift are the white-wings wh*) patrol the streets during the day with brooms, sweeping up the droppings and other refuse. A recent invention has been found to be very useful. It is a small handcart, constructed of small iron bars with iron wheels. The cart itseli is simply a frame in which is set a large garbage can. The handles of the caiit pass beyond the axle to the front where they are attached to a pan, which is^ altogether like a house-wife's dust pan, only it is about two feet wide and six or eight inches deep. When the cart is being moved, the handles elevate thisi pan, and when the cart is at rest, the pan lies flat upon the street The man sweeps the trash into it, pushes the handles down and dumps the^ sweepings into the garbage can. When the can is full, the sweeper removes it to the sidewalk and puts in another empty one. The garbage collector dumps the refuse into his wagon to be hauled away to the city-dump or cretnatory and leaves the empty can sitting on the edge of the sidewalk. The disposal of garbage is a serious problem but many cities have solved it by the building of crematories in which all refuse that can be burned is burned. Without the use of such a can as described above the sweepers must collect the trash into small piles in or near the gutter, where it is collected by the men with the wagons. The empty garbage cans placed at intervals along the side- walk also make good receptacles for refuse, such as paper or other trash which pedestrians would otherwise drop on the sidewalk or throw into the street. The same wagons which collect this refuse usually collect the dry garbage from residences and business houses. An effective rule in force in many cities provides, that these wagons will collect dry garbage, as often as necessaryv if 90 City Building the same is placed in a convenient place for them in a regulation garbage can. With business houses, this garbage usually consists of paper and other sweep- ings from the store, which is placed on the sidewalk in front early in the morning and is collected shortly after. With residences the cans are placed in rear alleys. By dry garbage is meant anything that will burn readily akd excludes such garbage as slops and tin cans. This garbage is collected by tanK wagons. The night-shift of the street cleaning department does not begin its worlq until nine or ten o'clock. This shift does the thorough cleaning of the streetsX First the street is sprinkled heavily. The sprinkler is followed by the rotary sweeper, which sweeps al'l of the' refuse to the gutter. Men with brooms sweep this refuse into piles which are shoveled into the garbage wagons and carted away. Another method eliminates the sprinkler and the rotary sweeper. This is the flusiher. It is a large tank-wagon with gasoline power which forces the water onto the street with sufficient power to wash the refuse into the, gutter, where men with brooms sweep the filth along the gutter into the storm- water sewer. During a prolonged spell of wet weather, streets generally get into a slimy condition. Many cities call out their fire departments and, with a fire stream, flush the streets thoroughly. In the North, a snow storm causes cities much extra work and expense. Before the snow melts as much of it as possible is carted away. Many times the fire department can be used to advantage in washing off the slush. A good fire stream will tear up the ice, wash it into the gutter where the next thaw melts it and allows the water to run into the sewer or the ice can be carted away like snow. The rotary sweeper is also often used, when the snow first falls, to sweep it into the gutter to be carted away. Most cities have difficulty in preventing refuse paper in the streets. In London, a plan has recently been tried which has produced splendid results^ The boy scouts of that city were asked to go through the streets picking up, such trash. The boys entered the work with a surprising zest, made play out of. the toil and cleaned up the city like it had never been cleaned before. Street Building and Cleaning W VI Ordinances Which Assist in Securing Cleaner Streets No matter how efl&cient may be a city's street-cleaning department, no mat- ter how much money is spent in the effort to keep the streets clean, no matter how energetically the work is prosecuted or the character and amount of ma-, chinery used, this work cannot be as efficient as when the department is assisted with the passage and enforcement of ordinances which will make it an offenses to litter up the streets, sidewalks and public places. Too much stress cannot be laid upon the expression, "the enforcement of the ordinances." It will avaiB nothing if all the ordinances in the world are passed, if they are not rigorously enforced. There are ordinances on the statute books of nearly every city which, if enforced, would nearly, if not wholly, solve the problem of clean streets. The first thing to do, is to look up these ordinances. You will perhaps find! some which you never dreamed were law in your city. A strong effort shoulci be made to secure the rigid enforcement of them. The police and other authorities are not very much to blame for the non-enforcement of thent, ifi^ the general public does not particularly care either one way or the other abouli the matter. One of the best ordinances which has ever been entered upon the statute books of a city and one which today is to be found upon almost every one of them is the anti-spitting ordinance. Hardly any one measure has been productivd of the same amount of good results in the cleanliness of sidewalks and public* buildings, trains and street cars, to' say nothing of its sanitary value, as thi» one, and yet in exceedingly few cities is this ordinance rigorously enforodd* today. How often in your own city do you see men thoughtlessly expectorate tobacco juice or a disgusting collection of mucus upon the sidewalk, when per- haps not ten feet away there may be posted a warning that such an action is an' offense punishable by a five-dollar fine and within a stone's throw there may be* a patrolman standing on duty? There is too often a hesitancy on the part o( patrolmen to make such an arrest but they will do it if the public sentiment of the community demands it Another ordinance which has produced good results in many cities is one which makes it compulsory upon house-holders and proprietors of business houses to deposit the refuse from their establishments in uniform garbage cans and set the same in convenient places where the garbage will be collected by the street-cleaning department. A penalty is provided in such an ordinance for throwing refuse upon the sidewalks or into the street by the householders or proprietors. The purpose of having garbage cans is that they are easy to handle by the collectors and, without this provision, all sorts of unsightly boxes, barrels and other receptacles would be placed on the sidewalks or in the alleys. The ordinance also provides that these garbage cans shall be covered. An ordinance providing for a fine against refuse droppers will do much to stop this carelessness. This ordinance comes under the same class as the atni- spitting ordinance. Such a measure should make it a misdemeanor for anyone; to throw or drop any paper, fruit parings or other waste material on the side- walk or into the street. The city should provide garbage receptacles at street comers and in the middle of the city blocks for such refuse. They should bo 92 City Building properly labelled and painted. The labelling should state what the receptacle is for and also state that a fine is provided for those who do not observe the ordi- nance. The practice of throwing hand bills about the street is fast being stopped and also the tacking of cards on telephone, telegraph, light, and power pofes and fences. An ordinance providing a penalty for such offenses will gresatly relieve such nuisances. The bare poles along a city's sidewalks are unsightly? enough without having them stuck up with all kinds, sizes and colors of adver- tising cards and streamers. One of the most productive sources of paper waste is the long paper streamers tied together into a bunch and tacked up on poles or on the doorways to stores, theatres or railroad ticket offices. Pedestrians tear them off, glance over them and then throw them down on the sidewalk* where the wind blows them hither and thither. The practice is common in many cities among a certain class of merchants and various business concerns to scatter thousands of dodgers or hand bills about the streets and in the yards of residences, advertising some special sale or event. This is a most prolific source of trash and is a very unsightly thing in any city which permits it. Another ordinance is for the protection of newly constructed streets which will not permit the tearing up of an improved street for a certain number of years after its construction. The purpose of this is to prevent the public service corporations, such as the water company, the gas company and the like, enter- ing a newly built street and laying mains or conduits. The reason for the ordi-« nance is that it is almost impossible to repair a street and make that portion ofi it equal with the rest. Many cities require these corporations to perform such work prior to the building of the street, insisting that all mains be laid andi connectons made to the curb line and that all conduits be built before the streeli is constructed. Transportation. 93 CHAPTER 8. TRANSPORTATION How TO Secure Concessions from the Railroads. "Work with the common carriers co-operatively, not antagonistically," is the key to the puzzle. The railroad, steamship or interurban corporation is an inanimate machine without sentiment, emotion or feeling but the men who direct its movements and business are human beings having each his portion of the three qualities. "A soft answer turneth away wrath" and a spirit of co-operation will secure concessions from the railroads. Elsewhere in this book is a chapter devoted to the general subject con- cerning the location of industries. Questions of how to interest the prospect, how to judge good industries from bad and various methods of locating ih- dustries in successful use among cities were discussed in that chapter. But after the industry is located, one of the vital points in the conditions which must exist in order for that industry to be successful is transportation. Your city cannot afford to stand still in transportation matters while its competitors are constantly securing increased facilities. Competition between cities as markets for the distribution of products is day by day growing keener and keener and trans- portation facilities is one of the strongest talking points for or against a city. The purpose of the articles in this chapter is to show successful methods wihioh have been adopted in various cities for securing better facilities. This first article is "how to secure concessions from the railroads." The entering wedge is found in the opening statement. By concessions is meant reduced rates for special movements or excursions, special switches or sidetracks for new in- dustries and other purposes, the elimination of grade crossings, modern stations, both passenger and freight, and other matters involving the betterment of freight and passenger handling in and out of the city. Many times excursions are wanted in or out of your city, such as trade trips by your merchants, excursions for the benefit of expositions, fairs, conventions or special tourist rates. There are two methods of securing these rates, one is to take the matter up with the chairman of the passenger association for the district in which your city is located and the other is to apply to your local agent of the line or lines over which the excursion is desired. In botl? cases some statistical information should be compiled and submitted with your request. This expedites time and will do much to secure the rate asked quickly. One thing should be remembered, that is, file your request, H possible, at least thirty days before the proposed date of your excursion. The carriers require time for the submission of your request to competing lines, for the printing of the necessary tariffs authorizing such rates, filing such tariffs with the Interstate Commerce Commission and notifying their agents of the putting in of the reduced rate. The statistical information referred to above should cover the following points: the territory in which the reduced rate is to apply, the rate desired, the date or dates and the duration of time, an estimate as accurate as possible of the probable amount of business to be done and from what points, the reason or occasion for which the rate is asked and other data which may occur td you 94 City Building as important, such as the amount of advertising which will be done by you to make business. Every railroad in your city is a member of some one of the passenger asso- ciations, such as the Central, Western or Southeastern Association. Each asso- ciation (has a chairman to whom application for special rates is made. You can take the matter up direct with him (which is the most expeditious method) or submit it to your local agent, who refers it to his general passenger department, which in turn refers it to the chairman of the association for submission to competing lines, who vote on the question of granting the request To whomso- ever you submit the question, file all of your data with them and you will be notified in a short time whether or not the rate will be granted. If your request is turned down, you have probably failed to present your case strong enough or the request is without merit In the former event go back with additional arguments. This is another reason for applying for the rate as early as possible. The carriers are after as much business as they can get and it is only a sign of business acumen for them to "charge as much as 5ie traffic will bear." To secure new switches, compile your data giving probable tonnage in and out, location and length and in general the necessity for the switch. Submit the question to your local agent Wherever it is possible, do your business with this local man. It makes him more friendly to you. None of us like to have people go over our heads for something which we can furnish ourselves. If you can show sufficient business, the carrier will put in your switch at their expense, otherwise you will be required to pay a portion or all of the cost of building while the carrier will maintain it To eliminate grade crossings is properly a part of the work of your coni- mercial organization. The proper committee should consult with the railroad officials, showing the advantages to their company of putting their tracks be- neath or above grade. Such crossings make the railway property more private and eliminate the expense of maintaining watchmen to say nothing of the added beauty to your* city by tasteful construction. Crossings on grade are a constant menace to the railroad in heavy satis for damages to life and property in accidents. The same method of proceedure will apply to all your dealings with the carriers. Work with them co-operatively, not antagonistically. "Must" never did accomplish results like "won't you." However, there are times when the issue must be forced. Many times such conditions exist in the inequality' oi freight rates. The handling of these questions comes under the province of the Traffic Bureau. Transportation. ' 95 II How to Organize a Traffic Bureau The purpose of the Traffic Bureau is to study freight rates, express rates and similar transportation problems for discriminations of an tmjust character on the part of the common carriers operating in and out of your city. A great many cities have organized such institutions with varying success. Some of them are supported with large sums of money raised from the shippers who receive benefits from such investigations in their localities. Other cities have been able to establish bureaus which are wholly or nearly self-sustaining. This is done through the auditing of shippers' claims upon a percentage or commission basis. The management of the freight audit department will be discussed later in this chapter. A very satisfactory way in which to organize a Traffic Bureau is to issue a call for a meeting of the shippers in your community. Before the meeting, have prepared a strong program of speakers to discuss methods in use in other cities such as Chicago, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and Omaha, all of which maintain success- ful departments of this character. Have other speakers to cite results obtained by such departments in other places, and methods of financing such operations. If it is the concensus of opinion of your meeting that such an institution would benefit your community, then decide on a plan for raising sufficient funds to maintain the department for a year. This amount is generally raised by popular subscription, or membership dues in the organization, from the shippers. The municipal government in a number of cities contributes heavily to the expense. The size of the fund necessary varies considerably, ranging from $1,500 per year up. Omaha supports her Traffic Bureau with $15,000 per year raised from the shippers. Chicago pays one salary alone of $10,000 per year. The usual method of maintaining the bureau after it has been organized is by the membership plan. Where the bureau is a department of the city's com- mercial organization, which is almost invariably the case, a special committee, usually called the Transportation Committee, has charge of the bureau. Where memberships in the bureau are maintained by the shippers, the price of member- ships is either fixed at a set figure by the year or graded according to the demands of each member on the bureau. The latter plan is more common. The average bureau needs funds to employ a rate expert, a stenographer, stationery, office rent and kindred expenses besides several hundred dollars for traveling expenses and possible lawyer's fees in handling cases before the state railroad commission, or the Interstate Commerce Commission. Your traffic expert will cost yqu from $100 per month up. These men are recruited from the freight offices of the carriers. Some bureaus secure their experts from one of the local offices. The greatest advantage of such a selection is that such a man is thoroughly versed in local conditions affecting your rate situation. The chief disadvantage is the possibility that his former employment will cause him to hesitate in showing up unjust discrimination, if such are found to exist. In any event, if a local man is secured, or a foreign product, care should be exercised to see if he is conversant with the fundamental principles of rate-making, the method of proceedure in handling complaints and the preparation of cases for hearing before the commissions. 96 City Building There are a number of men who have specially fitted themselves for such work and often you can secure the names and addresses of good men from cities maintaining Traffic Bureaus. Such men, however, usually hold their services at a higher figure. An average would probably be from $2,400 to $3,000 pec year. Many men can be found in the traffic departments of the large distributing houses or manufactories. The first requisite in the organization of the bureau is to secure a good manager, one who knows how to carry on an investigation of your rate situation. After your manager has been selected and has entered upon his tenure of office, his first work is to build up a tariff file. These tariffs are printed sched- ules of rates and regulations of charges for handling freight. They are issued by the common carriers. These tariffs will be furnished, without cost in nearly every instance, to the bureau upon application to the carriers unless the supply of any of them is exhausted, in which case the carriers cannot be compelled to furnish that particular tariff. In case of refusal to furnish tariffs, which is a very rare occurrence, the manager demands them through the Interstate Com- mece Commission. Where tariff supplies are exhausted, a copy can be seen at the local freight office, because the carriers are compelled to maintain com- plete files in their offices for public inspection. In building up the tariff file, your manager selects first the most important tariffs affecting your local conditions and commodities and, as time permits and occasion demands, he secures the less important ones. With the reception of the tariffs, your bureau is organized and is ready to handle complaints and investigate your rate situation with the view of ascertain- ing whether or not you are discriminated against unjustly. When the work has attained sufficient volume, the stenographer is employed. It is usual to select a young man for this position, because there are many times when he will be sent out on errands to places where a woman would not care to go. The estab- lishments of many shippers and freight depots are located in bad sections o'f the city. In conclusion, be sure that necessity demands such an institution as a Traffic Bureau in your community. Interest the shippers of your city in the movement to organize one. Make up the expense budget as accurately as possible. Secure sufficient funds to defray those expenses. Select your traffic manager with care. Build up your tariff file. Then you are ready to thoroughly investigate youfr freight rates. Transportation. 97 III How to Adjust Freight Rates With the Traffic Bureau After you have organized your traffic bureau and placed in charge a com- petent manager, you are then in a position to study the rate situation of your community from an expert standpoint. Different methods of investigation are adopted by different bureaus but the following plan will produce results : During the organization period of your bureau, you have undoubtedly heard some case of rates spoken of as being discriminatory against your city. In such event that case will furnish a basis for the starting of the investigation by your traffic manager. For the sake of example let us suppose it is general rumor in your community that the rate on coal is exorbitant and that, because of this fact, manufacturers looking for a new location for their plants pass your city by. Your traffic manager has his coal tariffs. His first work is to trace from those tariffs data giving comparative rates to your city and to competitive cities from the mines, the pointt of origin of the shipments. This comparative data should include competitive cities that are closer to the mines as well as farther away than your city. These tables of rates when properly compiled will show at a glance whether or not the existing rates are higher, or lower, or the same for your city as to the other competitive points. Suppose it is found that the rate is higher to your city than to some point a greater distance from the mines. You may, in that event, find an unjust discrimination against you; for the fourth section of the Act to Regulate Com- merce, under which the Interstate Commerce Commission has its being, says, in substance, that no higher rate can be charged by a common carrier for trans- porting freight from one point to another which is higher than is charged from one point to another a greater distance apart than the first two points. In other words, this clause is the famous "long and short haul clause" and is used as one of the basic principles of rate formation. But the Interstate Commerce Commission has given the common carriers the privilege of ignoring the pro- vision under certain condtions. For instance, in your coal investigation you possibly find that the rate is higher to your city than to some city beyond. Then it is up to your traffic manager to find out why. That other city may be located upon a water-course in which case water-competition, either potential or actual, enters the case and gives the reason for the discrimination. This discrimination may be an unjust one against you or it may not be. And it is this point which forms the baslis of complaint to be filed by your traffic bureau. Where the question of potential water-competition gives one place a lower rate than another place, it is usually the claim of the carriers that they must maintain the lower rate in order to meet possible competition. The question of tonnage also enters the case. The carriers claim that they can haul heavy tonnage on through trains to large distributing points at less cost per hundred pounds than they can haul a smaller tonnage on a local schedule which compells them to break bulk at the smaller stations. All such questions must be met in your particular case and satisfactory reasons in favor of your side of the controversy found before success can be achieved in the adjustment of rates. When this data is all completed then your 98 City Building traffic manager makes out his case and submits it to the local agents of all lines involved in the question. With his compilation of information your traffic manager is able to meet and combat the arguments of the agents. If you are unsuccessful with the local agents, then the niatter should be taken before the general freight agents of the offending carriers. If no satis- factory results are obtained here, then is the time for presentation of the case to your state railroad commission (if the case involves only intrastate business), or the Interstate Commerce Commission at Washington (if the case involves interstate business). The subject of preparing cases and complaints for action before these commissions will be treated under the title, "How to prepare com- plaints." The above is given not as a rule but as an example of how freight rates are to be adjusted with the traffic bureau. Every case will present diflfereht situations. Freight rates are complicated, consequently it is vital to have an expert traffic man who understands his business in the position of traffic manager. It is undeniably true that manufacturers and wholesalers exhibit a great hesitancy in entering into a controversy with the railroads single-handed, not only because they fear a severing of previous friendly relations and fair service but also because of the tremendous expense which often arises from litigation over a rate question, victory in which would not only benefit them individually but their competitors as well. To such, the traffic bureau, conducted as a de- partment of the cit/s commercial organization, furnishes, not only a more eco- nomical method of investigation, but also, because of the association and co- operation of other shippers of the community, relieves the alarm at the possible future damage to business by the carriers through a spirit of retaliation. The investigation of rate discriminations is not the only work of the traffic bureau but many bureaus secure sufficient revenue from the adjustment of loss and damage claims, overcharges and like errors to maintain their operation. The uninitiated would be surprised at the great number of such mistakes which unintentionally occur. This subject will be treated in the next article. Transportation. 99 IV How to Manage the Freight Audit Department By the freight audit department is meant that department of the traffic bureau where claims of shippers for overcharges on freight bills, loss or dam- ages to shipments, misrouting of consignments and such mistakes are checked up and collections from the carriers made. This work also applies to the ad- justing of claims against the express companies. Some cities find more errors in express bills than in the freight bills. They say that the express tariffs ha^^ not been reduced to the same scientific basis as have the tariffs governing freight shipments. The freight audit department is one of the most important in tho entire work of the traffic bureau. Many cities maintain their bureaus from the revenue derived from this source alone. Within the last few years several firms located in different parts of the country have come into existence, which do nothing but check up old freight bills for business houses on a yearly contract basis. The writer has in mind one firm in particular which has its traveling representatives who solicit shippers in various cities, asking them for their freight bills for five years back. The firm will check them over, collect all claims and remit fifty per cent of such collections. Besides this, the concern charges an annual minimum fee of twenty-five dollars. This firm has built up an enormous business and numbers its client in a great many cities by the hundred. The average business man does not pay particular attention to these freight charges and if he did, it could not be supposed that he would be able to catdh all of the errors which an expert who has been trained in handling traffic matters would and, besides, it seems to be a general custom with the common carriers to so delay the payment of claims as to wear out the patience of the average man. A host of industries, jobbers and other large distributors employ their own traffic experts to handle all matters pertaining to their shipping department and it is no uncommon thing to find that these experts save more than enough to pay their salaries by the checking of freight bills for discrepancies alone. The usual method of management of the audit department is to call upon all shippers, members of the bureau, to file with the bureau all of their freight bills. The traffic manager has established his tariff file including as many of these printed schedules of rates issued by the carriers as are found necfcssary to cover the principal commodities shipped in and out of the community, to- gether with the three classifications. These classifications are schedules issued by groups of carriers showinf2|} what class certain commodities are given when shipped. The three are known as the Official Classification, embracing that portion of the country east of the Mississippi River and north of the Ohio River to the Atlantic Ocean ; the Southern Classification, embracing that portion east of the Mississippi River and south of the Ohio River to the Atlantic Ocean ; and the Western Classification, embracing all of that portion lying west of the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean. The Official has six classes, the Western has ten and the Southern has thirteen. Because of this difference in the number of classes, errors are constantly being made when shipments go from one classification territory into another. When the freight bills are filed with your bureau, your traffic manager checks them over to see if the proper classification has been given to the com- 100 City Building modities ; to see if the proper routing has been given ; to see if no special rules, which should apply, have been overlooked; and to see if the rate has been figured properly. The proper classification involves not only the character — ^bulkiness, con- stituency and weight — of the commodity but also the manner of packing and size of the shipment, i. e., carload and less than carload lots. The proper routing involves the shortest and cheapest distance between the point of origin and the destination. Frequently, savings can be made by atten- tion to this phase of shipping to avoid such things as river or bridge-tolls and other special rules of some carriers. The special rules oftentimes figure where least expected. These rules are to be found in every classification and in almost every tariff. They are excep- tions to the general rule for application of rates to cover certain conditions and are extremely easy to be overlooked. The figuring of the proper rate involves all. three of the above points; classification, routing and rules. Very often mistakes will be discovered in thef improper classification having been given a commodity. Such errors most fre- quently occur when a shipmeiit passes through a portion of more than one classi-^ fication territory. Many times a rate could have been lowered if a combination' had been given of two or more local rates between two or more points between the point of origin and the destination, or the same is true conversely. Attention for the application of rules will also often bring to light errors. A prolific source of loss to shippers is found in loss or damage to ship- 4meiits by the carriers. All members of the bureau should file with the bureau all such cases, giving as full evidence as possible of how the loss or damag^e- occurred. The traffic manager will then complete the case and collect the bill. The traffic manager in all cases, where error is discovered, will file a claim for the difference. Usually his claim will be disputed but if he is right, he will keep after it until collected, or else he has redress by referring the matter to the Intersitate Commerce Commission. This is rarely necessary. ^ The traffic bureau usually charges a fee or commission for the collection of claims. The commission varies from ten to fifty per cent of the amount col- lected, which the shippers gladly pay, because without such service they would' have probably lost th'e entire claim. Transportation. 101 How to Prepare Complaints The preparation of cases against the common carriers for presentation to the railroad commission of the state, or to the Interstate Commerce Commis- sion, involving questions relative to the adjudication of unjust rates and other similar matters, is conducted in a manner practically the same as the prepara- tion of a civil suit in a court of law, and the conduct of cases is also handled in practically the same manner. If you have any doubts upon the proper proceed- ure, application to your state railroad commission, or to the Interstate Commerce Commission, will furnish you with the proper form. However, you cannot go far wrong, if you observe the following instructions : A good rule to observe first in traffic matters as well as in court litigation is to be sure you have a case before going ahead. The application to the commis- sions for relief should be the court of last resort. Appeal to this source should not be taken until your claim has first been submitted to the offending carriers and they have unequivocably refused to grant relief. The introduction of the case to the commission is in the form of a petition, which gives the style of the case in which all parties making complaint are named as the complainants, or plaintiffs, and all carriers against whom the complaint is made are named as the defendants. The petition cites specifically the charges which the plaintiffs make against the defendants and closes with a prayer for definite and specific relief. If it is desired, any number of parties suffering tihe same offenses as charged in the petition may file intervening petitions and thus become parties to the controversy. The petition is filed with the state railroad commission, if the charges made concern intranstate business alone, and with the Interstate Commerce Commis- sion, if the charges concern inter-state traffic. After the petition is filed, the' proper officer of the commission gives official notice to the defendant carrier or carriers of the filing of the complaint. Reasonable time is given the defendants to file an answer to the petition. This answer is in the form of a denial of the charges as a whole, or in part, and may set up counter-charges. To this answer, an amended j^etition may be filed by the plaintiffs, covering necessary points brought out by the defendants* answer. At all stages of the case both sides have the right to demur to any points of the contention, which demurrers are, of course, ruled upon by the commis- sion. After the petition and answer are filed in complete form, then the com- miission sets a date for the hearing of the case. The setting of this date is nearly always arranged for the convenience of all parties, the commission, the plaintiffs and the defendants.. This date may be postponed, or otherwise changed, only through the consent of the commission. Application to the state commission will furnish you with a copy of the last annual report of that body from which, with a little study, you can gather a great deal of informaltiiom concerning the proper proceedure for conducting a complaint. When the date for the hearing arrives, if both sides answer ready and the pleadings (the petition, answer, demurrers and amended petitions) are com- plete the opening of the case is had. Then the introduction of evidnce is begun. 103 City Building. Evidence in traffic cases may consist of the various forms in use in courts of law, such as witnesses, to give oral tetimony; depositions of witnesses who for any reason cannot attend the hearing; affidavits of persons concerning: points in the case and exhibits. In rate hearings, exhibits nearly always form a very important portion of the evidence. They are usually tables of comDarative statistical information concerning the contention. In the preparation of the case, too much attention can hardly be paid to this important point. Compara- tive tables of rates which go to show how the defendants are discriminating unjustly against the plaintiffs should be carefully worked out. This form of •evidence usually is made the basis for the chief arguments on both sides of the case. Both sides may introduce evidence, the plaintiffs fir^t submitting their evidence-in-chief. Then the defendants may submit their answering, or denying, evidence, after which the plaintiffs have the privilege of introducing evjdence- in-rebuttal, to be followed by the defense, in case it so desires. So the case pro- ceeds until all of the evidence is before the commission. The argument is then begun, both sides having their division of time. Argument may take one of two forms, oral argument or argument in the form of a brief. Each is simply the summing up of evidence for or against the com- plaint and the citation of authorities, or decisions of other commissions, upon similar contentions. The brief differs from the oral argument in the fact that it is written, is more concise and more direct than the oral argument which h spoken. The commission may render a decision at once but, by far the most usual thing, the case is taken under advisement and a decision rendered later. The chief points to bear in mind in the preparation of a rate case are to carefully prepare the petition, paying attention to form and charges; to be so thoroughly conversant with the case as to be able to quickly file an amended petition, if necessary; to secure and produce the strongest evidence possible in support of your contention and to carefully prepare the argument so as to bring out forcibly the strong points of your case. Transportation. 103 VI The Short Term Investigation It is almost vitally necessary for any city which enjoys heavy shipping t6 maintain a permanent traffic bureau. Rates are constantly changing to meet conditions which are also constantly changing and in those changes it is very easy for the interests of a city to be overlooked unless that city is on the jab looking out for its own welfare. Any city with considerable shipping will find it to its advantage to check up on the freight bills of its shippers as a safeguard against loss through overcharges or loss or damage. By having the permanent bureau, the city's shippers have the constant services of a traffic expert trained \o look out for their interests. But if a city has none and finds itself confronting a serious rate situation »vhich may be retarding its commercial or industrial growth and, for any reason, it is decided that it is not expedient to organize a permanent traffic bureau, it is altogether possible to clarify the situation by employing an expert for a short time of thirty, sixty, ninety days or as long as necessary to make an investiga- tion of the case in point. The first step, then, in conducting the short term investigation is to secure the traffic expert. There are a number of ways in which to do this. The most inexpensive and generally the least satisfactory is to secure a local rate man. The reason this method so often proves unsatisfactory is that very seldom has the local man had experience in conducting such investigations. There may be no question at all but that he is thoroughly conversant with freight rates and how to figure them, but if he does not know the various steps in the investiga- tion, covering not only the rates themselves but also the "why" of them, he cai^ hardly prove satisfactory. In the great majority of cases it is much better to secure a man who knows, through experience, all of the necessary points entering into the rate condition. Such a man will cost froni two hundred dollars per month up. An advertise- ment in some good traffic journal will bring many applicants from whom a satis- factory selection can be made. A letter addressed to the secretary of the com- mercial organization of the large distributing centers, such as Chicago, St. Louis, Washington, New York, or Pittsburgh will probably bring dependable recom- mendations of traffic men whose services are available and the cost of employing such men. There are also some few firms of reputable standing located at dif- ferent points in the country, and especially in Washington, where the chief hear-, ings before the Interstate Commerce Commission are held, who make a specialty of conducting such investigations. It is not necessary to have a tariff file in order to conduct a short term investigation because the carriers are required to carry a complete file of tariffs, which are open to the inspection of the public, but it would greatly facilitate the work of the expert, if a tariff file were ready for him when he begins the investigation. It is a comparatively easy matter to secure such a file. Any shipper can request copies of any tariff from any of the carriers in the country and they will be furnished him, if not out of print They can also be secured through the Interstate Commerce Commission. So to secure a tariff file for the short term investigation, make out a list of tariffs necessary for the study of 104 City Building. the particular rate condition to be investigated and have some shipper, or the commercial organization, to make application to the carriers for them. When the traffic expert arrives, he will begin his work by interview- ing the shippers and securing from them all of their complaints concerning the particular rate condition. After he has made himself thus familiar with the local situation and the relief which the shippers ask, he will begin an exhaustive study and comparison of that situation, comparing it with similar situations in other communities, which are competitors, and to see if the relief asked is a jusj request, or if a greater relief can be secured. He will compile this statistical information for use in the event the case is raken, either to the state railroad commission, or the Interstate Commerce Commission. After arriving at a definite conclusion, he will make a report of his findings. If he reports that no relief can be hoped for, the investigation is closed so far as he is concerned. But if he reports that relief should be granted, he shotes Moines, Iowa, furnishes an excellent example of this feature of ornamentation in the magnificent civic center recently erected and dedicatd with great cere^ mony as a remarkable achievement of the Commission Form of Govecnment, and also the ornamentation of the river banks through the city with parks and pleasure grounds together with a number of massive concrete bridges of a beau- tiful style of architecture patterned in large measure after the magnificent via- ducts found in Paris, France. Many cities prohibit fences enclosing the front lawns of residences. They also require lawns to be planted and properly cared for together with shade trees planted and maintained. The result is block after block and street after street of what are veritable parks in which the citizens take a vast amount of pride and with which they would not dispense for love nor money. One thing leads to another and in these cities one can hardly find a yard but what has its flower beds filled with blooming plants together with clumps of shrubbery arranged in artistic unison with the whole scheme of ornamentation. In such a city the billboard finds small chance for lodgment. A trip through the alleys will show a tidy condition where closed garbage cans contain the refuse from the kitchens and back premises. An advertising card tacked on a pole would stand as much chance of sticking as the tramp who was continually being kicked off the train by the brakeman who finally asked where the tramp was going and received the reply "to Chicago if my pants hold out." Civic pride and city loyalty are such familiar words that their definition is on the tongue of every school boy and girl. Ornamentation is as important to real progress in a city as the addition of new industries. The City Beautiful. Ill IV Street Lighting The archaic system of street lighting is a thing of the past in the modern progressive city. The old arc system, which at best, gives a circle of light only a few feet in diameter is fast disappearing and in its stead comes the use of small Tungsten lamps on standards and arranged in arches. The result is practically the turning of night into day. Besides the ornamentation of the street it is re- marked upon by every visitor who has any faculty of observation. One of the earliest cities in this country to adopt this system was Minne- apolis, Minnesota. The movement was promoted by one of the commercial organizations of that city. It was found that the city administration was ad- verse to spending a large amount of money for the installation of an elaborate system. Consequently, it was decided to try the plan out on two or three blocks of one of the main streets. A committee from the commercial organization visited the merchants doing business in the section which it was desired to improve and secured from them agreements that they would install the system themselves as an experiment. As soon as this work was completed and the lights were turned on, almost immediately popular sentiment demanded the installation of a more complete system and today, Minneapolis has miles of streets lighted by the Tungsten lamps set on ornamental iron standards. Other cities caught on very rapidly and today it would be difficult to men- tion all which have adopted this system of street lighting in whole or in part. Some which may be mentioned are Indianapolis, Indiana, Cincinnati, Ohio, Day- ton, Ohio, Warren, Ohio, Pine Bluff, Arkansas, New York City, Chicago, Illi- nois, Toronto, Ontario, Washington, D. C, Abeline, Kansas, South Bend^ Indiana, and one might go on almost indefinitely mentioning others. Besides the system of street lighting with the use of ornamental standards and Tungsten lamps other systems have appeared such as the arch system and the flaming arc system, both of which are improvements over the old arc sys- tem. The arch system consists of a string of small incandescent lamps stretched from one side of the street to the other at regular intervals along the length of the street. The chief objection to this system is that it gives a city an appearance of celebrating some special event because of the appearance of impermanency which is not to be found in the system where ornamental standards are used. The flaming arcs first appeared when they were used by some enterprising business establishments for the purpose of advertising by attracting attention to their places of business on account of the great light emanating from these arc lamps. Some of the cities then adopted the plan of using the flaming arcs for street illumination by placing these lamps at regular intervals up and down the street. They were installed from poles set in the sidewalks and in the middle of the street as is the common method of installing the old arc system. The cities which have ornamental street lighting have almost without excep- tion found it impossible at first to secure the installation and maintenance from the city administration. The excuse has always been that the system costs so 112 City Building. much more than the old arc system and for that reason the city officials felt that they would not be justified in adding to the city expense this extra cost In most cases the manner in which this difficulty has been met has been similar to that adopted by Minneapolis as stated above. Usually the commercial organization after making a careful estimate of the cost of installation and the cost of maintenance per annum of the system, would appoint committees to secure subscriptions from the merchants on the main streets of the city to pay for the cost of installation. After the subscriptions were secured then the proposition was made to the city administration that the city should pay the maintenance cost which includes the repainting of the standards, the keeping of the globes and lamps in good condition and the purchasing of the electric current There is no city on record which has adopted this system which has gone back to the old system. Its success has been uniform and the increased number of cities dropping the old arc system for the new ornamental lighting is prima facie evidence of satisfaction. The Department of Commerce and Labor at Washington, D. C, has issued a number of special bulletins which would be of particular value to those con- templating the adoption of ornamental street lighting. A request to the Depart- ment of Commerce and Labor will secure these bulletins free of cost to any applicant The title of them are "Lighting of principal streets of London, Paris, Berlin, Brussels and Vienna ;" "Gas, water, electric light, street car and telephone service in various cities," issued September 3, 1907, and in Special Consular Reports No. 42 is a special article on street lighting in Europe. Hamilton, Ohio, has installed the ornamental cluster system and the method adopted is that the merchants are charged $1.00 per front foot per year for five years. This money is paid to the city and the city installs, maintains and operates the system. Usually the standards contain a cluster of five lamps, one large one in the center on top and the other four smaller lamps are placed on four short arms immediately below the large center lamp. The standards are placed at inter- vals varying from 50 to 100 feet apart on both sides jf the street Ornamental street lighting is a valuable municipal asset because the stand- ard system looks well both night and day and it increases property values by making the city attractive for home makers and visitors; by making the prop- erty itself safer from attacks by thieves and burglars; by drawing trade which "follows the light," and by stopping the waste of taxpayers* money paid for light they do not get The City Beautiful. . 113 V Billboard and Smoke Elimination The elimination of both billboards and the smoke nuisance in a city is really a matter to be taken care of by public sentiment. If the people of a community desire to rid themselves from these drawbacks, they can effectively stop every bit of it but if they do not desire their elimination, then results cannot be accom- plished until the desire for riddance has been created, and the only effective way in which such a desire can be created is through the means of a campaign of education, where through the constant use of newspapers, mass meetings and various forms of publicity the public is shown the detrimental side of the nuisances. Some of the objections to the billboards are that they disfigure the land- scape, and the view, thereby destroying property values. For example, directly opposite Eden Park in Cincinnati, one of the most beautiful scenic parks to be found in this country, is a high hill which is nearly covered with tremend- ous billboards advertising some sorts of tobacco, liquors, soaps, medicine and other numerous articles. The natural view from the eleven car lines which pass this point would be much more delightful than the curt command to "Chew Climax Plug" or "Try Hunter's Rye." Directly opposite the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh and immediately nex: to one of Pittsburgh's finest hotels at this writing are vacant lots which are "graced" with spacious expanses of billboards. These boards have depreciating effects not only on the property where they are located but also on the surround- ing property. The billboard is frequently a nuisance and danger to property in its neigh- borhood. The fire chiefs of all large cities testify that it is a delay and a handi- cap to firemen. Frequently firemen have to cut a way through a sign board, or demolish it altogether, before effective work can be done on the fire raging be- hind it. But slight reflection is needed to show how dangerous such a structure would be in large cities and narrow streets. The billboard is frequently dangerous to health. It has been found in many cities that the spaces behind billboards have become unpleasant nuisances, since many careless people have used these spaces as a common dumping-ground, where enormous amounts of filth have been deposited for the reason that such -spaces are well screened from the streets. In this way the sanitary officers of many cities declare that the entire population of large areas has become sub- jected to the danger of serious disease. This consideration has led some cities, which undertake to control the erection and maintenance of billboards, to make it compulsory that they be built with an open space of several feet from the ground to the billboard structure itself. Probably a much more serious objection to billboards in their most familiar form is the unwholesome nature of the advertising displayed upon them. Moral agencies indict them because they are so frequently used to advertise lurid and sensational plays and alcoholic beverages. In some cities where the nuisance of the billboard has become one of large proportions, business men, women's clubs, and many organizations having for their object, either primarily or incidentally, the bettering of civic conditions, 114 City Building. refuse to trade with those people or patronize those interests which advertise in objectionable ways. In some cases a protest of this kind has been sufficient. A large number of cities, suffering seriously from billboard evil, have under- taken to curtail it, or do awa^^ with it altogether. Among those cities are Chicago, from which arises a case in which the Supreme Court of Illinois affirmed the right of the police to censure immoral posters, Montclair, Worcester, Cincin- nati, Cambridge, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington. In the last city the Commissioners of the District a year ago agreed to refuse any more permits for the erection of billboards, the records showing that from January 1 to July 15, 1909, permits were granted for billboards on 182 walls and 56 fences. Under the laws of some states cities and towns exercise a licensing power over billboards, and the ordinances which control this matter prove the feeling of impatience and desperation of the framers of the ordinances, for they leave but small comfort to the erectors of billboards. With regard to the smoke nuisance, the best work of a primary character for elimination is with the makers of the smoke themselves. A study of the question will show any manufacturer that he is losing money in the waste of energy going up his chimneys in dense clouds of black smoke a great percentage of which waste could be economically eliminated by the installation of smoke consumers and automatic stokers. Information along this line can be secured upon request from the University of Pittsburg which maintains a department looking to the study and abatement of the nuisance. The Department of the Interior has issued a bulletin on the extent to which measures have been taken in cities for smoke prevention and the means adopted and the progress made toward smoke abatement on loco- motives and stationary power plants. H. M. Wilson, the head of the Bureau of Mines, says that the cities need good ordinances providing for inspectors at moderate salaries; that the best medium for abatement is through the city's Board of Health; that the city should stand half the expense of installing smoke consumers and that the in- spector in making an inventory of such chimneys should prove to the owners their money loss and should co-operate with them without compelling them to change to the right system. The smoke nuisance levies an annual tribute from Chicago of $17,000,000 for damage done while the economic loss in waste is estimated at the enormous figure of from $300,000,000 to $500,000,000. The City Beautiful. 115 VI Clean-up Days For sanitation and health, for the prevention of destruction of property by fire, for the beauty of the city and for the reason that "cleanliness is next to godliness," clean-up days are imperative necessities in all cities, large and small alike. These special seasons when the Mayor issues a proclamation to the citizens to look to it that the premises of their business establishments as well as their resi- dences are thoroughly cleansed of refuse and rubbish of every description are of comparatively recent origin and since their inauguration have grown in popu- larity until now there are few cities of even minor importance but have one or mor£ such cleaning campaigns in the course of every year. It is a pity however, that such campaigns should be necessary. In some few cities, they are unnecessary because the citizens are so filled with civic pride that they keep their property in a thoroughly clean condition all of the time. But the average American city has not yet paused sufficiently long in the mad scramble for increased population to develop the asthetic side (as it is regarded by so many business men) of city building or development. But competition in trade has become so sharp in all branches of business activity, that it has forced the merchant to study his business carefully for the purpose of finding and stopping little leaks, so small in fact that a few ydars ago he would not give them a second thought. He is realizing today that a clean place of business is more attractive to the average customer than a dirty store with unkempt surroundings. He knows that refuse and rubbish increases the fire hazard on his property and that he has to pay for the dirt in increased cost of insurance. Although the average citizen realizes these statements as facts, still con- certed action and continuous action for cleanliness has not yet been secured and consequently it is necessary to have the clean-up campaigns. The usual method of conducting such a campaign is as follows: The Board of Health informs the Mayor of unsanitary conditions resulting from foul alleys and premises. The Mayor issues a proclamation designating one or more days to be known as clean-up days and calling upon all citizens to give their premises a thorough cleaning. The city makes arrangement for the disposal of all rub- bish collected from private property and announces that if citizens will have the rubbish piled in convenient places it will be carried away. Many times the in- surance people will give valuable assistance in the campaign in showing how cleanliness will decrease insurance premiums and other questions of similar character. The commercial organization and civic clubs get behind the move- ment and all working together generate sufficient enthusiasm in the campaign as to cause the whole city to bestir itself to get clean. Many cities have ordinances which compel the citizens to keep their prem- ises clean. Fines are provided for violations. Other ordinances provide fines for expectorating on sidewalks and in public buildings, fines for tacking cards and signs on poles and fences and also making it an offense to scatter bills on the streets and in the yards of residences. Other ordinances are passed looking to the questions of sanitation. The Bureau of the Treasury Deoartment issues the Public Health Reports which contain ordinances for sanitation passed by cities of more than 25,000 population since January 1, 1910. 116 City Building. One of the most unique clean-up campaigns ever inaugurated was that prosecuted by the Boy Scouts in London. On a certain day all of the boys of the Scouts were asked to band together and go out through the entire city picking up paper strewn around by carelessness. The boys entered into the work with surprising zeal, making play out of work, and at the close of the day the largest city in the world was cleaner than it had ever been in its entire history. The New Woman's Club of Leesburg, Virginia, to awaken public interest against the fly and in favor of cleaner streets invited all the townspeople to a "civic rally," which consisted of a popular lecture on the City Beautiful, fol- lowed by two scenes in pantomime. The first showed a village street — the pave- ment and gutters littered with papers, orange peel and peanut shells — ^bopo^s and barrels on the sidewalk, and old pieces of meat hanging in front of the butcher shop. A big basket marked "For Waste Paper and Trash" stood at the street corner. Along this street loitered a score of people representing the vil- lage population; the business man, the butcher boy, the nursemaid, two colored boys, two colored girls, the old farmer in town for the day, and a group of school children ; and all of them as they sauntered along threw more waste into the street. The school children scattered banana skins and orange peel, and every one threw down bits of paper, utterly disregarding the waste basket. The "After" scene showed the street perfectly clean, the same people walked along, but carefully threw all their waste into the public receptacle. After the program, the audience dispersed, enthusiastic over the possibility of clean streets in Leesburg. The Woman's Club of Trenton, Missouri, offered twenty-five cents a hun- dred for all the old cans gathered from alleys and vacant lots. But they were aghast when they found themselves confronted with a huge pile of about 100,000 of these apparently indestructible nuisances. The Town Council, ashamed of the lackness of the street cleaning department voted to pay the bill and, as a further evidence of repentance, instituted a general street cleaning crusade. The Club, freed from its debt, spent the same amount of money in beautifying the public square and the school grounds. Education. 117 CHAPTER 10. EDUCATION The Duty of the Commercial Organization to the School. Because it is the province of the commercial organization to assist in the development of all phases of the city*s life and activities and because the future of the city is dependent upon the incoming generations, therefore it is necessary and vital for the business man and the professional man to do all in his power singly and through co-operative effort to increase the efficiency of the public schools. No matter how good the public school System of a city may be, it can be made better and the better the system becomes, the more capable It Is of still greater growth in, efficiency. That the commercial organization can be of great assistance to the schools has been fully demonstrated in such cities as Dayton, Ohio, Worcester, Mass., Erie, Pa., Evanston, 111., and many others where the chambers of commerce, city clubs, boards of trade, art leagues and similar organizations work for grdater efficiency. In Worcester, iMass., the Public Educational Association, realizing the importance of a wide intelligence upon school affairs at home and else- where, made a very comprehensive study of school conditions. This study embraced conditions, not only in Worcester, but also a considerable num- ber of representative American cities. The result of this investigation showed that the public school system of Worcester was fully as efficient as any of the others studied, but In a report concerning this study. Prof. U. W. Cutler makes the following statement, showing that the Worcester As- sociation is not content to let well enough alone, but intends to secure even greater efficiency in the schools: "This comparison is by no means discreditable to our home institutions in many if not in all respects. But, discreditable or not, we, as citizens, ought not to close our eyes to the great movements of our time, for the city or town that ignores the experience of other communities in organizing and conducting its public affairs neglects one of the most important means for civic betterment at home." The fullest publicity was given this report by the Worcester Board of Trade, the commercial organization of that city. The Board not only in this instance recognized its duty to the schools but at every opportunity seeks to secure a greater interest in the educational question on the part of the Worcester citizen- ship. Even the largest of the American cities realizes the importance of genuine interest of the lay citizen in the school question. In New York, the Citizen's Committee oversees groups of boys and girls, who in their school rooms are formed in self-governing cities or republics, which system serves the double pur- pose of teaching the children self-reliance and also governmental systems by practical illustration. In Erie, Pa., the Chamber of Commerce has as one of its standing com- mittees, the Industrial School Committee. This committee has been making a 118 City Building. comprehensive study of the question of industrial education as a part of the curriculum of the Erie schools and working on a modus operandi to secure a complete installation of this branch of instruction in the city schools. Work of similar character has been prosecuted with great success by the Educational Committee of the Chamber of Commerce at Dajrton, Ohio. In fact, in the more progressive cities where the commercial organization has realized that its bounden duty is to make the city grow in all sane and safe ways, a,n education committee is numbered among the standing committees and the mem^ bers find that there is not only a great deal of work for them to accomplish but also a work which will yield, for the future, tremendous actual dividends of a commercial character. The commercial organization can secure special endowments, bequests or benefactions for special work of the schools. For instance, suppose the high school laboratories are not as well equipped as the work demands, a little in- terest from the commercial organization will secure a subscription from some public spirited citizens sufficient to install and maintain the needed apparatus. With a little work funds can be secured for gardens where the children can learn the fundamental principles of agriculture. Manual training has been in- troduced in the schools of a number of cities by this method. In Lexington, Kentucky, the Commercial Club assisted in a whirlwind cam- paign of nine days to raise $25,000 by popular subscription to complete a fund to build a Model School and social center In that city. Of this amount of $25,000, $15,000 was raised on the last day. The commercial organization can be of great assistance in compiling in- formation on various subjects connected with the schools. The Bureau of Education of the Department of the Interior has a splendid fund of data on various phases of the American school question. It is a notable fact that in recent years, since the business man has aroused himself to an interest in school matters, that the sentiment has been growing apace looking to the elimination of impracticable education and the substitution of the practical, as typified in the departments of manual training and domestic science. The commercial organization can be of genuine assistance to the Board of Education, the School Committee, or whatever the name may be by which the official governing body of the school system is known in matters pertaining to legislation. A needed bond issue for additional school buildings and facilities can be successfully carried by this aid. By working co-operatively with the School Superintendent and Board of Education, laws which are needed but which cannot be secured because of a lack of public Interest can be properly placed before the public, explained and their passage secured. Education. 119 II The Small School Board Lik€ the movement for the Commission Form of Government for munici- palities which has, of recent years, swept this country, leaving in its wake a generally conceded reform of old aVchaic methods into an efficient and business- like administration of the municipal corporation, the movement for the adoption by cities of the Small School Board law for the administration of the affairs connected with the public school system is spreading throughout the country and bids fair to rival in popularity commission government. The Small School Board comes as a result of active interest of the busi- ness man in questions involving th-e progress of the cities. The business world is today demanding greater efficiency in the young graduates of the schools and in order to obtain it, has turned its attention to solving the problem of how to make the schools yield larger returns in efficiency. The Small School Board consequently followed this interest. It is claimed that the Small School Board concentrates responsibility and authority, thereby giving a more economical and wise administration of affairs; it is claimed that it eliminates politics, thereby assuring the elec- tion of the best available men, and, in short, it is claimed to produce a thoroughly business-like conduct of a business enterprise. Some of the salient points in a model form of the Small School Board law recently adopted by one of the medium size cities are cited below: This law provides that the entire territory within the city limits, or which may hereafter be taken in, shall comprise one school district under the jurisdiction and control of the Board of Education, and that the title to all school property shall be vested in that Board. The usual powers and duties of the Board are prescribed with excep- tions as enumerated below. The number of members of the Board shall be five (it should be stated in passing that this number is the usual one). The qualifications of members are stated to the effect that no person under twenty-four years of age can be eligible to membership and he must be a resi- dent of the city. A member cannot be connected in any way with any concern which contracts with the Board for the buying or selling of anything. The members of the Board serve without compensation and all five are elected from the city at large by secret ballot for a term of four years. This election, as will be seen, does away with ward representation, thereby elimi- nating ward jealousy. The secret ballot contains all of the nominated candidates and is a separate sheet from all other ballots to be voted on election day. This ballot is to be known as the "School Ticket" and must not contain any mark or emblem which in any way would indicate the political affiliation of any candidate. It is also unlawful for any election officer to in any way indicate the political affiliation of any candidate. Candidates are nominated by petition filed with the county clerk. Such nominating petition must bear the names of at least one hundred legal voters of the city. 120 City Building. The names of all candidates are printed on the ballot in a single column. The names are printed in alphabetical order on the first fifty ballots. On each succeeding fifty ballots the names are printed in the same order save that the last name on the preceding fifty is shifted to first place and so on until the re- quired number are printed. These are then so bound for each voting precinct that each candidate's name shall appear first on approximately the same number of ballots as that of every other candidate. It is made compulsory upon the county sheriff to provide a separate ballot box in which the ballots in the school election must be deposited. There is also a provision in the law which permits a special election day for the School Board. To secure the change in date it is required that a peti- tion must be filed with the county judge requesting that the election be held on some other day than the regular one. This petition must be signed by at least twenty per cent of the total number of votes cast at the last preceding presi- dential election. Upon the filing of this petition the county judge must select a day for the special election, which day must be not less than ninety nor more than one hundred and twenty days distant from the date when the judge enters the order for the special election. In the first election under the new law, the voters cast their ballots for five candidates and those candidates who receive the greatest number of votes are the elected members. After election, the members cast lots for the long and short terms of service and in succeeding years, the elections are htld to supply the vacancies, caused by the expiration of the short term members The office of clerk of the Board of Education is aboli.shed and in its stead is substituted the office of Business Director. This officer is appointed by the Board. He is placed in charge of all the business affairs of the public school system, amenable at all times to the Board. He employs the janitors and other employes except instructors who are employed by the Board. He pur- chases all supplies and in general is the business manager of the School Board. The Board employs the Superintendent and of course has entire control over all departments of the public school system. From the above it will be seen that some of the essentials are patterned after the plan of commission government. The same arguments used in sup- port of the latter are advanced in favor of the Small School Board, The records show its success wherever adopted. Education. 121 III How to Advertise the City Through the Schools The first condition necessary in order to secure publicity through the schools is to have the advantages and resources of the city known. "Know thyself" is the motto which must be followed, if substantial results are to be obtained. The city's commercial organization is in the best possible position of any body in the community to furnish the necessary facts and figures to ma/ke known these advantages and resources. "Knowing the city" is a large part of the work of this representative body of citizens. For this reason, if for no other, this organization is best prepared to carry on the work of making public the information which it has. There are a number of different plans for presenting the city's resources to the school children. Any of them are good. The sole thing important in all of them is to get the information to the children to start them to thinking about the city, and it will not be a great while until they will begin to talk about their city and to discover new advantages of various character for themselves. The Education Committee of the commercial organization will find the way to co-operate with the school authorities on such a publicity campaign. In some cities the work has been carried on with such success that the school boards have made home city study a part of their curriculum. This committee may find it advantageous to have some of the prominent citizens address the high school students and the pupils in the graded schools on various branches of the general subject of knowing the home city. Such address should be made as simple as possible and thoroughly attractive. Fea- tures should be treated and the right people can present them in feature style. One or two points in connection with any one subject or feature should be so forcibly brought out that they will be retained. In most of the work, however, the burden falls upon the teach- ers in the schools. They are the persons who come in daily contact with the pupils, who know them and consequently know how to impress them. A number of the cities present the home city study to the teachers alone and through them to the pupils. This is done by means of the teachers' meet- ings which are regularly held. In some of the cities where the home city study is made a part of the regu- lar course of study, a graded course has been devised, in w'hich the kindergarten departments are taught the simplest facts and more complicated subjects treated from grade to grade in ascending order. Such a course has not only the advantage of instilling civic pride into the hearts and lives of the children — the future citizens — ^but it also gives valuable instruction of a practical character on many useful subjects. The co-operation of the superintendent of the schools is vital to the suc- cess of the above plan. Without his active assistance, nothing like the results can be accomplished as with his help. It is largely through him that the co- operation of the principals and teachers is secured. Some of the cities conduct studies on subjects suggested by current and local events. The subject of a proposed bond issue which is to be submitted to 123 City Building. the voters of the city for streets, sewers, parks or any other public improve- ments furnishes a splendid opportunity to not only impress upon the children some practical lessons on the financing of public work, but the mere fact that the children discuss the question of bonds will carry the subject into the homes and become no small agency in assisting in the successful passage of the bond issues. Such information as the amount of bonded indebtedness which the city is carrying and for what purpose the bonds were voted can be easily trans- mitted to the children and in such transmission they are being furnished with some additional facts concerning their home city. The ways in which this home city information can be imparted to the chil- dren are almost innumerable. The primary thing is to secure the co-operation of the School Board, the superintendent and the principals and teachers. The knowledge itself and the way in which it is to be imparted to the children will then take care of itself. After the children have begun to assimilate this home city information, they^ through simple exuberance and enthusiasm, will tell their parents and relatives at home some facts which they have not realized. This will cause these older citizens to think more about their home city. They will begin to talk more of its advantages and resources until the ultimate result will be that the "little child shall lead them" from the state of city pessimism into that of city optimism. Further than this, in the class rooms, the pupils of one grade can write letters about their city to the pupils of the same grade in other cities with the result of giving the home city a deal of publicity. Besides this, the pupil individually can choose some of their acquaintances living in other cities and write to them "boosting" letters. A prize or series of prizes for the best letters can be offered. Where these individual letters have been written in several different cities to children in other cities, a number of instances have been recorded where such letters have led to the actual location of new people in the city and in some cases the location of several large industries. Education, 123 IV The Effect of the Schools Upon the City Beautiful The city that makes an effort to secure the co-operation of the school chil- dren in beautifying the city has made a long step in the direction of a success- ful solution of the problem of how to make the city beautiful. As has beejn said elsewhere in this book, the children now in the schools are the future citizens and the lessons in civic progress taught them will not only bear im- mediate fruit, but wall become foundation stones of city building ideas and ed- ucation in the days when they assume charge of their life work. Those in charge of the great work of building cities have realized that to build well requires time; that "Rome was not built in a day" and that though a boom may erect a city under certain conditions, still the average creates the rule that the evolution of a city requires many years. These same men have also reached a stage of sane thinking on the subject of city building, in Which serious reasoning they have come to the logical conclusion that they must appeal to the oncoming generation in order to approach the realization of success. So in this way has the movement resulted in the addition of some of the fun- damental truths of proper city building to the education of the children. One of these fundamentals is that it is the duty of citizens to make the city the best place possible in which to live and do business. When this funda- mental was realized, then began the movement to create the city beautiful, to secure, open and maintain parks and playgrounds, to build wide, well-paved streets and boulevards, to build civic centers, and to ornament the city in every practical manner. And now the cities, realizing how hard it is to "teach old dogs new tricks," are adopting systematic methods of showing the importance of this funda- mental to the school children. The results have been surprising. Where the primary hope of such education was looked for in later years, the secondary hope of immediate results has been largely realized, in that the children have at once caught on and in many instances have become valuable auxiliaries of the park boards, street cleaning departments, the health boards and the civic organizations of the city. The children have been quick to understand why a city should be made beautiful and, their bump of civic pride not yet having been knocked off in the made scramble for money, they have become large factors in this impdrtant work of building a. city right. The example set by the New York Department of Street Cleaning in organ- izing children as volunteer aids has been followed by many other organizations. While this particular work was organized for the primary purpose of securing the aid of the school children in keeping the streets clean, the work has broad- ened until it now takes in all questions concerning the city beautiful in which a child can be useful. In New York the movement is carried on by means of Juvenile Leagues which meet in the public schools in charge of the teachers. At the head of each is a superior who directly supervises the organization and work of every league. The plan of organizing may be briefly stated as follows: 124 City Building. After permission from the principal to organize a league at a school is received, a teacher is assigned to act as director and take charge of the league. Delegates are then elected from the highest grades, who meet in convention in the school house after school hours. The supervisor explains to the league their duties as young citizens and the benefit they will receive by organizing. The delegates elect their own officers and adopt a constitution, and permanent officrs are installed. Various committees are appointed; and the work is on. If the teacher assigned as director is an enthusiastic worker, good results will follow. If, on the other hand, the director is indifferent, tlie league will eventually disband, and the work of organizing is a waste of time. The children are enthusiastic; but this enthusiasm must be kept up by encouraging words, by impressing upon the young people their importance as young citizens. The volunteers are anxious to receive the badges of honor which are given them for merit and they are proud to wear them. They are of German silver, and bear the coat of arms of the City of New York and the motto, "We are for clean streets." The volunteers must demon- strate their willingness to do their duty as citizens to receive them. This attitude on their part is made known when they submit a report; if the report is a good one, a badge is given, not as an inducement, but as a re- ward of merit. The school and street committee are assigned to duty in and around the school house, to prevent pupils from throwing paper and leaving parts of their lunches on the playgrounds and in front of the school house. These committees take pride in their work, with the result that the school houses and their sur- roundings present a better appearance. The sanitary committee call upon all tenants who block their fire escapes^ and inform them that they are violating the law. They also urge the people to keep their homes, halls and cellars in a sanitary condition. The vigilant committee is made up of members who are in the very highest school grades. They form a brigade, and take charge of the blocks in which they live. They stop people from littering the street, in- struct janitors to take in the receptacles after they have been emptied and re- port landlords who do not supply their tenants with sufficient and proper re- ceptacles. •f Education. 125 V The Relation of the Schools to the Industrial Interests of the City The relation of the schools to the industrial interests of the city and vice versa should be one of co-operation, not the dormant kind, but the active and continuous working together for the advancement of mutual interests. The schools have something of which the industrial interests of the city can make use and in turn these industries are possessed of some things which it is necessary that the schools, or rather the children in them, should use. The industrial interests will find it advantageous to their business welfare to have the school children know as much about their businesses as practicable. In the first place, it gives these industries publicity of no mean character. For example, suppose there is a broom factory in the city. If the children of the schools are taken through the plant and care is taken to explain to them the various processes through which the broom cor^j is taken from the beginning to the time it is shipped away in the form of "Made Well" whisk brooms or house brooms, the children cannot help but be impressed with the sight and their talk at home will very probably cause their parents to call for "MadV Weir brooms. The same is true of coffee-roasting plants, flour mills, planing mills, and all -the other plants with which practically every city is equipped. In those cities where there are special industries, even greater benefits accrue to the industries through making the process of manufacture known to the children. These industries must depend very largely upon these children to operate their machinery in, at best, only a few years hence. Therefore, the sooner the knowledge of the uses to which these machines are put is given the future workmen, the quicker will he or she, show proficiency. So important has this point become with many industries that they have succeeded in getting the schools to teach the simpler processes of production as applied to those in- dustries in the regular manual training course of the schools. This instruction is of course graded, and by the time the student has completed the high school course, he can go right into the factory and, in a very short time acquire suf- $cient proficiency to overtake other workmen who have been in the plant for years. The manual training courses, which in only recent years have been intro- duced in practically every city of size in the country, have come from the de- mand of the country's industrial interests for more efficient men. It is the advent of practical education — the kind that fits the boy to do something — that fits him to make practical use of the theoretical knowledge with which his mind is crammed. The schools in turn iind that the industries of the community offer a splen- did opportunity for getting to the pupils knowledge in a practical way and in such a manner that they retain what they have learned. Such a method of teaching develops to a high order the power of observation, which is recognized as one of the four fundamentals of education. Some of the most successful teachers conduct excursions of their grades to various industrial plants in their vicinity. A definite time is set and the management in most cases take particu- lar pains to thoroughly explain in a simple, manner the various processes or steps in production, carefully calling attention to the functions of the differ- 126 City Butldixg. ent human-like machines, and end up with a short, simple talk on how the finished product is marketed and in what parts of the country. When the pupils return to their school room they are instructed to write composi- tions on what they have seen at the factory. By this method they really learn not only the important fact that such industries have their home in their city, but also how those industries operate. It is such work as this which is really building a city for the future. At the same time, it has the additional advantage of accomplishing immediate good. There are many cities in America which would like to have the benefit of the factory payrolL Many of them find that they have all of the requisites of a good location for certain industries with the exception of an adequate supply of labor more or less skilled. If such a city will begin with the schools and teach the pupils in them industrial education as far as it is possible with the means at hands, it will not be many years before the city will have trained a new generation of young people who can easily and quickly adapt themselves to the particular work found in the average factory. Efficiency in this line of endeavor will increase as time passes and so the city will furnish a supply of labor (raw it may be but easily adaptable because of this early training), which will induce the location of the desired industries and guarantee their per- manency in the community. But to secure such a condition there must be co-operation between the school authorities and the industrial interests. Those in charge of the schools must see the need of such an education for the children to the extent that they will willingly incorporate such studies in the curriculum and enthusiastically carry out such a course of training. On the other hand the industrial interests must awake to the necessity of supplying their future demands for labor to such an extent that they will insist upon such instruction for the children from the school authorities and then work hand in hand with them to secure the utmost efficiency with the least cost and loss of time. These two factors will bring the success desired and any other method will be found wasteful of time and energy, if successful at all. Education. 127 VI Practical Education The demand for increased efficiency has come as a result of intense spe- cialization, which in turn is a result of the evolution of industry. In the earliest times, production was accomplished by the one man power under great expense because of a lack of efficiency. But today production is almost exclusively carried on by large industries, thoroughly organized and highly efficient. These industries are at the pinnacle of present day economical production. Perhaps an illustration will not be amiss. The first locomotives were large- ly manufactured by one man while today in the Baldwin Locomotive Works, it takes the combined efforts of hundreds of workmen to turn out each engine, one man putting in certain rivets in the firebox, another watches a turning lathe as it shapes the piston rods and another polishes the bright irons and brasses, while the other hundreds have each his particular task. The work of all, when assembled, completes the iron horse. Each workman knows how to do his particular work better than anything else. He has done it so much that there are no lost motions, and every minute of his factory time Is occu- pied in efficient production. Besides this, the office is managed in like manner. The scores of clerks have each a special duty. There are cost keepers, invoice checkers, payroll clerks, and many other grades. Over all is the general manager, or superin- tendent. In like manner the professions have of late years become subdivided into specialists. Consequently, we have lawyers who devote their entire time to criminal practice, others who are adepts in civil practice. Again these two great branches are divided into smaller classes. The result is a host of patent attor- neys, corporation lawyers, constitutional lawyers and a number of others. The family physician who treated everything from a sort toe to an ear- ache has almost disappeared to give way to the specialist. Consequently, we have physicians and surgeons who devote their talents to the cure of cancers, stomach troubles, nervous diseases, diseases of the eye, ear, nose and throat and in fact, the disorders of practically every organ and function of the body and mind. Even the profession of the clergy has become divided into specialists until we recognize the pastor, the missionary, the evangelist and the Sunday school worker. A glance at any of the professions will reveal like condi- tions. Some one has said truly that this is the day of specialization. Not only that but the future holds out the prospect of still greater, or rather more minute or intense specialization. This is supremely the day of the survival of the fittest and the man who can do — who is fit — secures patronage. The demand for fit men has increased in greater ratio than the supply. There is a cry in every line of activity, commercial, industrial, and professional for men who are more efficient — men who can do more men who are more tit. The brains of the country have recognized this shortage and are now ^^^^" ing their attention to increasing the supply. The first efforts have been towara increasing the efficiency of the men who are now in business, in ^^^^^^^J«re professions. Hence the advent of the special schools and the corresponaence i 128 City Building. schools. Many institutions maintain their own schools in their own establish- ments, securing for instructors some of the leading men in their various lines of endeavor. Classes in economics, salesmanship, accounting, and in fact all the different branches of the business are conducted to give the men now em- ployed the opportunity of increasing their efficiency, and, therefore, their worth to their employers. These men who have recognized the shortage in the supplv of efficient workmen have directed their secondary efforts to increasing the efficiency of the schools along the lines of practical education. It is their contention that under former methods of instruction, the pupils were graduated into helplessness; that they did not study subjects in school which would give them the right* start in any of -the technical professions. < Manual training has been introduced in the best schools with the resub that the pupils learn the uses of tools and w^hen they are graduated they tcan be taught the use of larger and more important or intricate tools much morei easily and quickly. Consequently, they are able to take their places in the ranks of skilled workmen in most cases many years sooner than formerly. > But there is an increasing demand for greater efficiency in this work of the> schools even. The age at which an individual chooses his life's occupation is' constantly decreasing. Today the student entering the high school has prac- tically determined what profession or business he expects to enter and so ad-: justs his course of study. Only a few years ago this decision was not reached by the student until his entrance upon the college course. Formerly all high school students studied practically the same course whereas today the average high school curriculum embraces perhaps six or eight courses, each de- signed to train the student for a special line of work. The reason underlying these efforts, as said before, is the demand for in- creased efficiency. More managers are demanded today than ever before — men who have been so trained in efficiency that they can handle big busi- ness at the least cost and waste of time, money and energy — ^men who can Increase the profits of business — ^men who can do their work better than others. This is one huge result of competition. It demands constantly something better. Therefore, the city which recognizes the demands of the future for prac- tical education and is setting about to supply that demand by giving thd d|n- coming generation an education of practical efficiency, is the city which is doing its duty by its children — its future citizens. mmM Government by Commission. 129 CHAPTER 11. GOVERNMENT BY COMMISSION How THE Plan Originated and Its Present Status. Government by commission, or commission government, is, in a sense, a misnomer. A commission in its definite meaning signifies a body of men who are appointed to do a certain prescribed work, whereas, under the Commission Form of Government, the iilen who compose the commis- sion are not appointed, but elected to their offices. The mistake probably arose out of the conditions surrounding the first city in this country to be ruled by commission, excepting Washington. That city was Galves- ton, Texas. It is generally conceded that the form of municipal government gen- erally spoken of as the commission form originated In Galveston. It was in Galveston that the plan was first adopted providing for the elec- tion of commissioners instead of the appointment of them, as in Wash- ington, where the city has been governed by appointed commissioners since the early seventies. It is also conceded that the Galveston plan was adopted from the pure commission form in use in the District of Columbia, where the com- missioners are appointed by the President. After the terrible storm at Galveston, the municipal government lu power was found incapable of coping with the situation. Consequently martial law was declared and a commission of men elected to govern the city during the period of recovery. This plan was found to be so much more satisfactory than the bi- cameral form of government that the proper laws were made providing for the continuation of the commission form Instead of the councilmanic form. The city has been governed by the Board of Commissioners since that timo. One of the next cities to adopt the plan was Houston, Texas, and Des Moines, Iowa, quickly imitated her. This city has become famous for Its advocacy of the plan. It has been used as the basis of a very extensive advertising campaign and tn the efforts of Des Moines and her citizens, composing the Greater Des Moines Committee, is largely due the center- ing of the attention of the cities of this country upon this form of gov- ernment, with the result that today nearly every State in the Union has, through their several legislatures, passed enabling acts giving to their cities the right to adopt the plan in some form or other. The latent available statistics show the following growth of govern- ment by commission in the United States: On September 3rd, 1912, the State of Ohio passed the Home Rule amendment to the State Constitution, which amendment gives the cities in that State the right to adopt the commission plan if so desired. New Orleans also adopted the plan in a special election in September by a vote of more than ten to one. A showing that surprises many of the inquirers is the large number and varied character of the towns and cities that have adopted the plan. 130 City Building. In a list of about 125 cities and towns, governed by commissions, Alabama leads with the substantial cities of Birmingham, with a population of 132,685, and Montgomery, 38,136. Kansas leads with the largest number of towns and cities under the plan — the total being 23. The largest of these is Kansas City, with a population of 84,331; Wichita, 52,460, and Topeka, 42,692. Iowa has eight cities: Des Moines, Burlington, Cedar Rapids, Daven- port, Fort Dodge, Keokuk, Marshaltown, anl Sioux City. The population of these cities range from 14,000 to 86,000. Sixteen Illinois towns are governed by commissions, the largest being Springfield, with a population of 51,678; Rock Island, 24,335; Molina, 24,109; Decatur, 31,140; and Jacksonville, 15,326. California has eight coipmission plan cities, the three largest being Oakland, with 150,174; Berkeley, 40,434; and San Diego, 39,578. Texas has thirteen cities and four towns governed by the commission plan. These include Dallas, 92,104; Houston, 78,800; Fort Worth, 73,- 313; Galveston, 36,981; and Austin and Beaumont, having more than 20,000 population. Spokane and Tacoma, thriving Washington cities, have the commis- sion. Spokane has a population of 104,402 and Tacoma has 83,743. In West Virginia, 'Huntington, 31,161; Parkersburg, 17,943, and Bluefield, 11,188. In Kentucky, Lexington, 35,099, and Newport, 30,309. In Michigan, Port Huron, 18,863, and three other cities. In Massachusetts, Gloucester, Haverhill, Lynn, and Taunton, from 24,000 to 89,000. In South Dakota, Sioux Falls, 14,094; Aberdeen, 10,753, and eight other towns. In Wisconsin, Eau Claire, 18,310, and Appleton, 16,773; and In dozens of other cities the plan is in successful operation. Salt Lake City, Utah, capital of the State and of Mormonism; Co- lumbia, capital of South Carolina; Sumter, South Carolina; Memphis and Chattanooga, Tenn., are in the list. In other States records show Idaho, one city; Colorado, two; Louis- iana, two; Maryland, New Mexico, Oregon, one each; Minnesota, Missis- sippi, two each; North Carolina and North Dakota, three each under the rule of the plan. Buffalo has adopted the Commission plan. A number of other cities have voted to adopt the plan in some form, but have not placed it In operation. The present status of the plan shows a wide variance in the form in which it is adopted in various States and cities. The reason for this wide difference is apparently to meet local conditions. Some of the States have constitutions which impose certain unalterable conditions upon the cities of the State to be fulfilled. In such instances the commission form is changed to meet those conditions. In other places individuality of sen- timent has caused other differences to creep into the commission charter. Government by Commission. 131 II What is Government by Commission? The commission form of municipal government substitutes for the mayor and board of aldermen a commission of five men, elected by the people just as they would elect assemblymen or aldermen. Bach of these live takes special supervision, such as the police, the fire department, or water supply. There is no magic in the number five, any community which wants a commission of fifteen or of three can have it. The mayor is one of the board and has very little authority. Virtu- ally, he is simply the chairman of the commission, with not much moro privilege than the right to call them to order. The commission form of government, as usually understood, may be Illustrated with the system adopted In Des Moines, Iowa. The general plan is that the citizens by primary may nominate can- didates for mayor and four commissioners, who shall have complete charge of town business, legislative, executive and judicial. Any person can be nominated by a petition of 25 citizens. The 10 candidates having the highest vote at the primary two weeks later are submitted to the citizens for an election, and the five candidates having the highest votes at this election comprise the city council, with full powers — legislative, executive and judicial. They manage the business as completely as the board of directors could manage the business of a bank. There are five departments, as follows: First, a department of pub- lic affairs; second, a department cf accounts and finance; third, a depart- ment of public safety; fourth, a department of streets; and fifth, a de- partment of parks and public property. The mayor, by virtue of his ofilce, has charge of the department of public affairs, with general supervision over the other departments, and receives a salary of 1 3,500. The other commissioners receive a salary of $3,000. The council, by majority -vote, appoints all other officials of the town — city clerk, solicitor, tax assessor, police judge, treasurer, auditor, civil -engineer, city physician, marshal, chief of fire department, street commissioner, library trustees, and all other necessary officers. These selections are made under a board of civil service commissioners. Each commisioner appoints the subordinate employees In his own department and each commissioner is held responsible for the successful management of his department. Extreme pains are taken to prevent fraud in the elections. For In- stance, the fullest publicity is required of campaign funds. Both the source and the manner of expenditures are required to be reported under oath. No officer or employee is permitted to be interested, directly or indirectly, in any contract with the city or in any public service corpora- tion, or to accept any free service therefrom. All franchises or right to use the streets, highways, or public places of the city can be granted, renewed or extended only by ordinance, and every franchise o'r grant for interurban or street railways, gas or water works, electric light or power plants, heating plants, telegraph or tele- 133 City Building. phone systems, or public service utilities, must be authorized or approved by a majority of the electors voting thereon at a general or special election. Every motion, resolution and ordinance of the council must be in writing, and the vote of every member of the council, for and against it, must be recorded. The council is required to print and effectively dis- tribute each month. In pamphlet form, a detailed, itemized statement of all receipts and expenses and a summary of its proceedings during the preceding month. At the end of each year the council must cause a full and complete examination of all the books and accounts of the city to be made by competent accountants and publish the report in pamphlet form. Every ordinance or resolution appropriating money or ordering any street improvements or sewers, or making or authorizing any contract, or granting any franchise, must be complete in its final form and remain on file with the city clerk for public inspection at least one week before its final passage or adoption. Nothing is permitted to be done in secrecy or in the dark. The pub- lic business is public. Ward lines are abolished in the choice of city commissioners, so that each citizen votes for every commissioner both in nominating and electing him. Partisanship is eliminated. No party emblems are permitted on the ticket, but the candidates are listed in serial order, without party des- ignation, and are nominated and elected as far as possible on the ground of personal fitness. In Galveston the city government was given into the hands of five men, three of whom under the original charter were appointed by the gov- ernor and two elected by the people. By a decision of the supreme court, the appointment of all the commissioners was subsequently made elective. There is a mayor, or general manager, and four managers of partic- ular departments. All power resides in the commission. A majority vote of the body is final. The mayor is presiding ofllcer and general manager of the affairs of the city, but he has no power beyond his vote as commissioner, except some minor abilities to act in cases of emergency. The commissioners must also come to the board for all power to act. The commission at its first meeting divided its departments among Its members by vote under these four heads: Comissioner of finance and revenue, police and fire commissioner, commissioner of streets and public property, and water- works and sewerage commissioner The plan does not insure good government; no mere system can do that. The people must be alert, interested in their city and its adminis- tration and ready to act if their interests are not guarded. No scheme of government can take the place of these qualities on the part of citizens. Government by Commission. 133 III What Has It Accomplished? The commissioners in Galveston prepared plans for raising the grade of the city and the building of the great sea wall. The city hall and water works station were rebuilt and the fire stations repaired. All floating Indebtedness inherited from the old city government was paid and the city placed on a cash basis. The improvements made from September 18, 1901, the date when the commission was inaugurated, up to Jan- uary 1, 1911, totaled $3,832,851.08. The first worthy accomplishment in Des iMoines was the introduction of modern business methods into municipal affairs. Work done by the employes of the city has been well done and contract work has been held strictly up to specifications. The streets and alleys have been effectively cleaned. A beautiful civic center was established. The city's relations with its public utilities were improved. The city for the first time in years lived within its income. The commission plan has accomplished in Des Moines something like the following: Directness, simplicity and therefore efficiency and economy in administration; a very much greater responsiveness of the city gov- ernment to public opinion, in other words, a more thoroughly democratic city government; a very much greater civic interest and civic pride; a great stimulation of the public to the undertaking of general public Im- provements; the general unification of the city, making out of seven con- tending wards one unified city; a general clearing up of the city politic- ally, morally and physically. The plan in Grand Junction, Colorado, has encouraged extensions by all the public service -corporations because the city does business in a more business-like way. The street railway, gas, electric light and tele- phone companies at once improved and extended their equipment. The commissioners 'have given the city better drinking water, cleaner streets and better parks. The police force has been improved. The annual cost of maintaining the commission government is less than the cost of the former government. In Austin, Texas, the commissioners in two years paid off overdrafts amounting to $31,529, redeemed $29,000 of its bonds, reduced the tax rate twenty-four cents on the hundred dollars, and at the end of the year had on hand a surplus of $93,432. In Berkeley, Cal., the municipal courts were improved, the health department reorganized, the city's water and light supply has been im- proved upon, the police and fire departments have been made more efficient. In Kansas City, Kansas, the cost of public work was reduced, brick paving that had cost $1.70 per yard was done for $1.50, asphalt paving was reduced from $2.10 to $1.85. The park and boulevard system has been extended, playgrounds have been installed and utilities have been improved and extended. Houston has made great strides in public improvements and yet reduced the tax rate thirty cents on the dollar. In lola, Kansas, the 134 CiT\' Building. commission in its first year increased goyemment efficiency, increased street expenditures by lopping off the old inefficient methods, and yet ran the government for $32,741 less than the old system had ever run it under. In Dallas, Texas, the commissioners in two years wiped out a deficit of $200,000 and placed a balance in the treasury. In Sioux Falls, Iowa, city expenses were decreased through the consolidation of offices, there was a definite increase in efficiency in every department of the city, and public improvements were stimulated and conducted on business lines and with a coherent plan. Lieavenworth, Kansas, has paved more streets since it adopted the commission plan than it paved in all its history before. Columbia, South Carolina, has civil service for police, fire and health departments; initiative, recall and referendum. Ward lines are obliter- ated, councilmen being elected, as the mayor, at large. In the old system there was little or no grafting, just incompetence or indifference, lack of definite responsibility; this unbusiness-like system resulted in waste, a thousand little leaks. There were jealousies anl bickerings among aldermen. All that Is changed. In ten months for the first time In many years the city wiped out a floating debt of $75,000 and got on a cash basis. No debts. No appropriations overdrawn. Every councilman publicly known to be responsible for the conduct of a certain department. The waterworks instead of showing a deficit of $18,000, to be paid out of gen- eral taxes, is paying expenses and beginning to show a casb balance. Besides $25,000 for street cleaning and repairs, $100,000 was ap- propriated for expenditure in 1912 for permanent improvements — all out of current receipts. Next year the city will appropriate $115,000 for such improvements. In Trenton, New Jersey, open competitive bidding has been adopted for contract work; city advertising has been placed on a business basis at a saving of several thousand dollars annually; a legal department has been established; a city chemist has been included in the personnel of officials; theaters and moving picture houses are kept under strict surveil- lance; all city bills are paid promptly; city business Is transacted more quickly than ever before and all employes put in more time at their work than ever before. In one year in Montgomery the commission completed street im- provements valued at $129,058.33 and sewerage improvements valued at $73,248. A supplemental water power plant to deliver water for com- mercial purposes was also completed. The police and fire departments are the pride of citizens. The police department embraces 75 men and is equipped with patrol wagons, bicy- cles and an alarm system. The fire department is equipped with modem apparatus and is being gradually changed from horse trucks to motor trucks. In Memphis, Tennessee, the commission reduced the city tax rate from $1.76 to $1.59, the latter being the lowest in the history of the city; secured the construction of $5,000,000 of subways, now being built, some- thing previous administrations tried in vain for twenty years to do; con- structed 60 miles of permanent street paving, 38 miles of sewer, and 100 miles of five-foot sidewalks. In Yankton, South Dakota, the commission has built a large amount of cement sidewalks and has made considerable extensions to the water- works and sewer systems, also an ornamental concrete bridge. During the same period the city's indebtedness has been reduced sereral thousand dollars, and the tax rate has been slightly reduced. Government by Commission. 1^5 IV The First Steps to Secure It The creation of a desire on the part of the majority of the citizenship of a community for the so-called Commission Form of Government is the first step in the campaign to secure it for any community. An educational campaign must of necessity be prosecuted to teach the people the differ- ence between the new form and the old way and to show that the new plan brings out the best qualities in the men who hold municipal posi- tions because it throws all of their actions into the lime light of public scrutiny. The logical place for the campaign for the adoption of the plan to originate is in the city's commercial organization. It is in this associa- tion of individuals that there is gathered together the various interests Of the city for the avowed purpose of doing any and all things necessary and incident to the betterment of all phases cf the city's life and activity. With the commercial organization solidly behind the movement for better municipal gveornment the campaign is well on its way to a sue-? cessful termination For the sake of example, we will suppose that a commercial organization is considering such a campaign. The first thing that body of citizens wishes to know is what is the plan, and is it a success or simply a bubble of new-fangled notions of mu- nicipal government. A special committee composed of lawyers and busi-p ness men is appointed to investigate such questions. The committee con- ducts a bureau of research, asking the officials and the citizens in various businesses and professions in the cities which are governed by the plan in its numerous forms for their unbiased and impartial verdict as to the success of the plan, its shortcomings and what definite results it has accomplished. Other sources of information on these and similar questions can be secured from the American Academy of Social and Political Science, the United States Government, the schools of political science in the various universities and the several municipal journals and periodicals. The investigating committee can readily compile sufficient data from the voluminous records secured from the above sources to make an ex- haustive report on the subject of whether or not commission government is good or bad for a city. Such a report will be found of great value later in the event it is decided to secure the adoption of the plan. Such a brief on the subject can be made an exceedingly valuable campaign text-'book or hand-book. In it can be found answers to most any argument against the plan. This committee should also be empowered to investigate the steps which will be necessary in order to make the requisite change in the city's charter. In practically every State, if not in every one, any changes in the charters of cities within the boundaries of the State can be made only by a special act of the legislature of that State. In other words, an enabling act must be passed by the legislature granting the right to cities to amend their charter In certain ways. The 136 City Building. State ConstitutloD generally prescribes the method necessary to be pur^ sued in order to effect such a change. Some State Constitutions grant the right of home rule to their cities. A notable example of such a constitution is the one adopted by the pepole of Ohio in a special election held on September 3rd, 1912. Under this particular amendment in the Ohio (Constitution all cities with- in that State may adopt the commission form of government, if they so desire. This Is, perhaps, the greatest victory for this plan which has yet been achieved since the birth of the plan in Galveston some ten or eleven years ago. In the State of Colorado also, the cities have the right of home rule. In a number of the States, however, the constitution is so framed as to place certain cities in certain classes. These classes are determined wholly by size or population, and physical or other differences are not taken into consideration, as, for example, in one State there are several second class cities, one of which is an Inland city, while the others are river points, and yet in the charter of the inland place there are great long clauses concerning the question of public wharves. Under such a constitution it is more difficult to secure the Com- mission Plan than where the cities are not put into classes. The reason is apparent. In such a case, instead of having to educate the people of only one community, it is necessary to create the desire for the change in the charter in all of the cities of the same class. All of the various steps through which the campaign has to be car- ried must be worked out by this special Investigating committee. Then with the co-operation of the newspapers, with the help of mass meetings of citizens, with the assistance of imported speakers who are authorities on various phases of the plan, with the aid of printed matter, pamphlets, letters and other publicity and with the active co-operation of as large a citizens* committee to talk the advantage of the plan in their daily inter- course between man and man, a campaign can be promited which will successfully carry the movement through the legislature, if necessary. In the form of the enabling act, and through the referendum vote of the people afterwards when they vote on the question whether or not the city shall be governed under the provisions of the charter amendment provid- ing for the commission form. G0\^RNMENT BY COMMISSION. 137 The Essentials of the Charter In the commission plan, generally regarded as the pure form, there are ten essentials, every one of which are considered vital by the most authoritative students of the plan. These esesntlals are named as follows: (1) Instead of having a Board of Councilmen and Aldermen to pass ordinances subject to the approval of a Mayor or themselves only, there is a commission of five persons to pass ordinances, subject to the approval of the voters of the city, with no veto power in the Mayor. (2) Non-partisan primary at the expense of the city to select nom- inees, thus encouraging good men to become candidates and taking away from the political bosses the privilege of saying who shall be the nominees. (3) Non-partisan ballot, on which all nominees are placed, without any party emblem, thus practically providing for special investigation as to the best men to vote for. (4) The Recall of the Mayor or any Commissioner in case of mis- conduct, inability or neglect in the performance of his duties, for which any of them may be removed from office by the majority vote of the citi- zens. If the Mayor or any Commissioner be removed from office, the reason for such removal shall be stated in writing and shall be filed as a public record. Any voter can circulate a petition at any time calling for a special election for the recall of any commissioner. A certain percentage of votes cast at the last general election piust be represented by the sign- ers of this petition before the special election for the recall of any Com- missioner can be called. (5) Provision for Referendum, under which 25 per cent of the voters may protest against the adoption of any ordinance, and if the same is not then repealed by the Commission, it may be voted on by the people at large as to whether or not it shall go into effect. (6) Provision for Initiative under which any ordinance that the Commission may legally pass may be adopted by vote of the people at large, if the Commission refuses to pass it after receiving a petition from 25 per cent of the voters requesting them to do so. ( 7 ) Each Commissioner is to be a superintendent of a department of the city, but he has no knowledge before the election to which department he may be assigned; therefore he cannot promise with any certainty any positions on the police or fire departments or otherwise, thus preventing employes of the various departments favoring any particular candidate. (8) Civil service governing policemen and firemen and other city employes. ( 9 ) The duties and salaries of employers shall be fixed by ordinance, thus permitting the people to vote on them if they consider them Im- proper. (10) Every ordinance Involving the expenditure of more than $1,000 or granting any franchise or right to use or occupy the streets, shall, after its introduction and before its adoption, remain on file at 138 City Building. least one week in the complete form in which it shall be put on its passage, thus preventing dangerous and pernicious amendments just before it is voted on, and no such ordinance can go into effect until ten days after its passage, except in case of emergency the public health or safety shall re- quire that it take immediate effect, which fact shall be declared by the unanimous vote of the Board of Commissioners. A modification of the above plan has made its appearance in some sections of the country, which is considered the height of radicalism by some authorities and the acme of perfection in business management of municipal affairs by others. It is, in short, the advent of the professional mayor, a municipal expert trained in the office of general manager of the municipal corporation. This modification is an approach toward the Eu- ropean custom of cities which have their expert in city affairs. This man is not elected by the people directly, but appointed to service by the town council. His tenure of office is permanent, dependent solely upon effi- ciency. The friends of this modification claim that the matter of governing a city is simply a business proposition and that its solution lies in the ap- plication of business principles. They point to the great railroads and business organizations and call attention to the men in authority, the president or general manager, who are employed by the board of di- rectors to carry out the business policy which that board has outlined. They claim that this board of directors is elected by the stockholders of the corporation and that the board is always in a position to command and check the movements of their president or general manager. The principle as applied to the municipal corporation Is as follows: The voters are considered as stockholders. They meet at the regular elec- tion times and elect a board of commissioners. These commissioners meet and receive applications for the position of general manager of the city. The selection of this individual is based upon his ability to handle the work. He Is elected by a majority vote of the commissioners and is placed in charge of the business of governing the city. He is made responsible for his acts of commission as well as those of omission. The commission appoints his assistants, such as the city auditor, clerk, assessor, treasurer, engineer, and so forth. This general manager makes his reports to the board of commissioners, who in turn make them public. If the general manager fails in ability In the discharge of his duties he is asked to resign and a new man placed in charge in his stead. Sumpter, S. C, has this plan in force with some few differences. Some of the cities of Virginia have adopted plans which in a measure ap proach this form. ,jBtbXa^_^tBaa Government by Commission. 139 VI How to Secure it for Your City The first step in a campaign to secure the adoption of the Commis- sion Form of Government plan for a municipality is the organization of a Charter Committee. This committee should be composed of the best men in the community. It should be large enough to embrace represent- atives of all of the various business and professional interests of the city. It should have bankers, business men, lawyers, doctors and educators among Its members. The first duty of this committee should be to make a thorough in- vestigation of the plan and its various modifications as adopted by other cities and the success of those plans wherever adopted. A study of con- ditions in these other cities and a comparison of these conditions with those Which prevail in the home town should be made, and the proposed charter, which is the final report of this committee, should be made up with reference to the result of that comparison. It will be necessary for this Charter Committee to study the consti- tution in order to ascertain the limitations which the State iConstltution places upon amendments which may be made to the city charter. Care- ful attention to this phase of the committee's work will probably save the charter when tested by its enemies in the Supreme Court on the ques- tion of its constitutionality. Every effort should be made by the Charter Committee to protect this phase of its work. After the Charter Committee has made its final report, the next step In the campaign is the appointment of a Steering or Liegislative Commit- tee to have charge of the charter amendment, to prepare it In the form of a bill, to have it introduced in the next session of the legislature, and to continually watch its course through that body in order to secure its passage Into a l9,w. Certain members of the Charter Committee should also be members of the Lregislatlvo Committee. The Legislative Commit- tee, like the Charter Committee, should be composed of the most repre- sentative men in the community. Attention should be paid to the influr ence which the members of that committee will be able to exert upon the members of the legislature. In many States the constitution provides that the cities of a certain population are to be considered as cities of a certain class and one gen- eral charter is adopted for the government of all cities of the same class. In States where this is true a campaign is often necessary to secure the support of the best elements in the other cities of the same class in ordei* to secure the votes of the senators and representatives from those legis- lative districts. Strong support for the passage of such an amendment can often be secured in the other cities of the same class by calling atten- tion to the fact that after the law is passed by the legislature It must then be adopted by the citizens of each city separately and the question of one city is not binding upon any other city of the same class either in adop- tion or rejection of the proposed amendment. 140 City Building. When the bill has been made a law by the legislature the real work for the adoption of the plan by the city begrins. A more or less strong educational campaign has already been conducted even before the appoint- ment of the Charter Committee. After the bill has passed through the legislature then this educational campaign must be entered upon with greatly increased force and vigor. In the conduction of the educational campaign the central idea should be to thoroughly explain the provisions of the commission plan as far as possible to every voter in the city. 1*his can be done by the use of news- papers, the circulation of explanatory pamphlets and through the medium of mass meetings of citizens at which lectures by authorities upon the subject are given. Precinct meetings for two or three weeks before elec- tion day have been found to be of great benefit in reaching a class of voters which will not be attracted to the general mass meetings, or which will not read either the pamphlets or the newspapers. Throughout the campaign the strongest appeal should be made to the civic pride of the citizens of the city. Comparisons should be made between the inefficiency of the present system of government In effect in the city and the efficiency of the commission plan as adopted in other cities where great public improvements have been carried out, where taxes have been reduced, and where a consistent municipal force has been secured. A few days before election day a workers' mass meeting should be called, at which every friend of the commission plan should be urged to be present. At this meeting volunteer workers at the polls are secured. These men volunteer to go to the polls when they open on election morn- ing and stay throughout the entire day working in the interest of the amendment. Poll books of all the voters in the city by precincts are prepared and handed to these precinct workers, who, as the voters cast their ballots, check them off. As a voter appears at the polling place some one of the workers approach him and solicit his vote for the commission plan. If necessary, the worker enters into an argument with him to answer the voter's conscientious objections, if he has any. The efficacy of the plan for precinct workers at the polls has been shown in more than one city. The writer has in mind one particular city which secured the passage of the commission plan bill in the legislature. When the plan was voted upon the first time no organization at the polls was had, and resulted with the politicians beating the plan by an over- whelming majority. At the next general election a thoroughly organized company of precinct workers was had, and in spite of every effort of the politicians to defeat the passage of the amendment, the amendment was passed by a vote of more than two to one. JS^MmM Good Roads. 141 CHAPTER 12. GOOD ROADS The Importance of Good Roads to a Community. The importance of good roads in a community has only become realized in the last few years. In fact, it is claimed by many that good roads have oinly become appreciated since the advent of the autombile and that the users of the motorcar are responsible for this agitation which is widespread throughout the country in favor of improved highways. Be this as it may, there is no question as to the importance of good roads from a commercial or any other viewpoint. The remarkable showing of these last few years in all parts of the nation in the building, improvement and main- tenance of roads is prima facie evidence of the importance of the subject. The fact that the business men in most of the cities irrespective of states are taking a vital interest through their commercial organizations in bettering roads leading into their cities is another evidence of not only the importance but the real necessity of good roads for the proper development and progress of both the rural districts and the cities. To have good roads has become so important a question that nearly all of the states have passed constitutional amendments allowing their counties to vote bonds for the building of roads. Many of the states have voted state bonds for this purpose. In Ohio on September 3, 1912, the people of that state voted on the proposition to issue $50,000,000 in road bonds. Not a session of congress is held but what federal aid in the form of appro- priations is asked for the building of good roads. Besides this, the Un,ited States government considers good roads so important for the general prosperity of the country that the Department of Agriculture has established a new sub- division called the Office of Public Roads wherein is maintained a body of con- sulting engineers. Under this department experimental roads are being built, materials for building roads are being tested, also dust preventatives. Different kinds of road binders are tried out and experimented with. This department also gives lectures throughout the nation on various phases of the subject anfl the experts employed are constantly making research of every feature of the question, the results of such investigations being compiled in bulletin form and printed for free distribution to those who desire them. The subject of good roads receives a vast deal of attention from the Texas Commercial Secretaries Association- A great deal of energy is expended in educating the people of Texas to the necessity of better roads with the result that nearly every county in the state has either passed a bond issue or else are preparing to submit the question to a vote of their cities. Today it is claimed for Texas that the state has more miles of improved roads than any other state in the Union. Omaha, Nebraska, has found that the acquirement of good roads is so im- portant that the Omaha Commercial Club has in this year of 1912 appointed a Good Roads Committee. The citizens of that city say that the possession oi good roads is vital to the business of the city and that they must co-opejrate 142 City Building. with the smaller communities and inhabitants of the rural districts to the end that all roads throughout Omaha's trade territory must be scientifically im- proved. The result of this action and similar action on the part of other Nebraska cities has been the addition of a great impetus to the movement for good roads and already a marked improvement in this primitive mode of transportation is to be seen throughout the state. In Calvert, Texas, the question has become so vital that plans have been prepared and are well on their way to a successful adoption to employ an expert to build fifty miles of shell roads in seven different directions. In many sections of the country the roads in the rural districts are paved with brick and asphalt. The Board of Trade of Wheeling, West Virginia, re- cently successfully carried out a plan to pave many miles of roads throughdait the county. Roads constitute the primitive mode of transportation. It is by this method that the principal amount of interchange of goods and intercourse between city and county is today carried on and this method will continue in first place for- ever, even with the development with steam and electric service to the highest point of efficiency. Because this is true, the awakening of the nation is not unreasonable. The retailer has realized that practical impassability of roads during the winter months is the cause of the great falling off of his sales during that period. The wholesaler in turn has reached the point where he has analyzed this condition in like manner and knows that if the retailer clears his shelves of goods, he will secure the order to refill them. Also the same doctrine has reached as far as the manufacturer. In like manner the condition of the roads have an effect upon prices. Im- passable roads cause the price of farm products to soar because the demand is beyond the immediate supply. When the roads become passable again these products are rushed to the market in such quantities in the effort to sell in the high market that the supply far outstrips the demand and consequently prices seek a low level. Both of these conditions have a tendency to disturb the com- mercial equilibrium of the community and do not tend to make good business. With improved roads such conditions are minimized, for in nearly any sort of weather the farmer can reach the city without great inconvenience. He can haul more either in or out of the market, therefore, his transportation cost is lessened. With improved roads, the business channels are kept more nearly filled with commerce throughout all seasons of the year than where the roads are not improved. ■O' Good Roads. 143 II An Educational Campaign {or Better Roads The value of an educational campaign for better roads is to instruct the people of the community where such a campaign is conducted in the impor- tance of good roads in that particular section. No matter how large or how small a city may be, the subject of good roads should appeal to the business interests of all alike if from no other reason than the purely selfish one qf increase in business which invariably follows the advent of improved roads in the rural districts. The use of the stereopticon and moving picture camera can be made to have tremendous weight in such an educational campaign. Not only can such an outfit be made effective in local meetings but also where meetings are held in nearby counties or in country school houses in the rural districts. If a line could be drawn, it would perhaps place the latter use of pictures on the side of greater effectiveness. In using the stereopticon, pictures showing conditions of well known high- ways before improvement and after the road has been rebuilt will have a great effect. Other pictures attractively demonstrating the hauling power of a horse over good roads in comparison to bad roads are very good. Pictures of various methods in use for improving roads will give the beholder a clear knowledge of this phase of the subject and will show him that the work of improving roads is not the bug-a-boo he thinks it is but is really a simple process or application of simple principles. A splendid series of pictures, or subject of a moving pic- ture film, would be the demonstration of one or more actual processes of road building in its entirety. The simpler this method the better the effect on the beholder. By the use of pictures the actual work in other communities can be potf trayed in a most convincing manner. Pictures produce an unanswerable argu- ment and are not only valuable for the prosecution of an educational campaign for good roads but are equally valuable in any other public movement for the public good. Requests for photographs of road improvement operations will find a ready response from the communities upon whom the request is made, for they treat such requests as another opportunity to give their cities a little valuable publicity. The holding of meetings not only in the home city but in the outlying dis- tricts will be found to be of great benefit in stimulating interest in better roads. A thorough preparation of a program for such meetings is necessary for success in this kind of a campaign. Speakers should be of the highest order and well informed upon the phases of the subject which they discuss. Experts in con- struction can be secured who will tell just how the roads should be improved. These men will also be able to furnish an estimate of probable cost of the dif- ferent methods of construction. Other men can tell bf the successful efforts of other communities in road building and can give figures to show the actual saving to these communities as a result of the building of such roads. Ltacal business men of strong standing should be secured to discuss the question of importance of good roads. 144 City Building. These meetings should be held first in the home city to create the local in- terest in the improvement of the roads and then as soon as sufficient interest is engendered to guarantee a substantial local following of supporters the holding of meetings should be held in the school houses of the home county, then in the nearby counties until finally the whole district is covered. A news bureau will be found effective in this kind of a campaign. Through this medium the local newspapers and all other papers in the district in which it is planned for the campaign to cover are supplied . with publicity matter on various phases of road building. The news bureau prepares a special service covering all phases of the subject and supplies these articles to the papers free of cost and in a manner ready for the printer. The news bureau gathers all of the data possible from every source avail- able on the subject of good roads and prepares its articles for the newspapers in as attractive a manner as possible. The news bureau secures articles and photographs of operations in other communities. In some cases the news bureau prepares its matter for publication in mat or plate form which is dis- tributed free to the newspapers. Also special articles are prepared for publica- fion for trade journals and special periodicals which will be likely to use them. The organization of a state association for good roads where none now exists will be found of great benefit in prosecuting a campaign of education. Many of the states now have them. The Texas Commercial Secretaries Association works for good roads through the state newspapers. Kentucky has only recently organized a State Good Roads Association which is already doing valiant service in showing the im- portance of good highways to the people of the state. The use of the automobile in educational campaigns has assumed a promi- nent position. Omaha conducts many automobile excursions in the interest of good roads. On these excursions, official roads are established between cer- tain points, such as the Omaha to Cheyenne, Omaha to Kansas City, Omaha to Sioux City, Omaha to Denver and other roads. Jacksonville, Florida, conducts similar automobile excursions. Meetings in outlying districts are held. In all of this work Jacksonville works with the state association. The office of Public Roads of the Department of Agriculture at Washing- ton will be found a splendid source of information in preparing an industrial campaign. This department can also furnish good speakers to lecture on the subject of highway improvement. -o- Good Roads. 145 III Where Good Roads are Found It would be impossible in an article of this character to tell where all the good roads are located. This is not attempted but instead just a few localities which stand out' prominently as possessors of splendid highways are cited. The Blue Grass region of Kentucky is famous for the uniformity of im- provement and extent in number of miles of macadamized roads, or "pikes," as they are called in that section. These pikes are built qf limestone in which that country abounds. The quarried stone is run through a crusher and the crushed ^ock is then spread on the road bed, the larger rock first and the small- stantiate such a claim for supremacy. State Highway Commissioner Wilson of Virginia reports that nineteen coun- ties of that state had authorized up to the close of the fiscal year, September 30, 1911, bond issues amounting to $3,853,000. During the same period ninety- three of the one hundred counties of the state had made use of state aid in some form or other. In Tennessee, on one of the proposed trans-state highways the counties through which the route will pass have raised funds amounting to $600,00(K Besides this, bond issues in 1911 amounted to $2,109,933. Convict labor has been extensively used in South Carolina, the average number of convicts employed per day throughout the various counties bfeitig 995 and varying from six to sixty-three in individual counties. In Bradley, Desha, St. Francis and Sharp Counties, Arkansas, a 3-mill levy is made for road and bridge purposes. In St. Frances County, this amounts to about $18,000 and is voted in October of each year. This amount, together with $4,0C)0 per year from the general funds of that county, is expended on road and bridge work. Sharp County reports about $6,000 available from the road fund for 1912 work. Phillipps County, Arkansas, has a total mileage of 700 miles, of which 400 miles are main highways. All are earth roads. In 1911 the total expenditure was $48,000, of which the sum of $10,500 was spent for bridge work and $3,700 for culverts. The amount available for work in 1912 is $37,500, of which $10,000 will be spent for bridge work. The county levies a 3-mill special road tax, and every male citizen between 18 and 45 years of age is required to fur^ nish ten days* labor on the roads. There is a movement on foot to make the county into a road improvement district for the building of pikes. If this is 152 City Building. done, it is stated, it will mean the expenditure of over $1,500,000 and the making of 220 miles of turnpikes. In Delta County. Colorado, all funds are secured from direct tax levies, no bonds being issued for either road or bridge work. Road work is adminis- tered by road supervisors appointed by and answerable to the Board of County Commissioners. During 1911 the sum of $22,875.15 was expended on roads in Montrose County, Colorado* on roads. $6,031.45 from county funds was expended on bridges, and donations amounting to $2,239.15 were made, either in cash or labor, by the farmers. For 1912 there will be available from taxes $30,886 for roads and $9,084 for bridges. In addition to this, pledges have been made for donations of labor amounting in value to $2,100. In addition to these amounts, it is expected that there will be available $12,000 from the state fund. NV> bonds are issued by the county. In a number of places, it has been found difficult to secure the interest of the county authorities in the building of improved roads and the merchants and various business concerns of the larger towns have contributed large sums of money by popular subscriptions to build some experimental roads. After such roads were built it was not found difficult to secure funds from the county to continue the work. As suggested above, the farmers in many communities co-operate in not only maintaining the road in good condition* by repairing, but also in many cases they build the roads outright. In most of the states the automobile licenses go to the maintenance and building of roads. In many of the states the money derived from this sounce amounts to several hundred thousand dollars each year. In September, 1912, the people of Ohio voted $50,000,000 in bonds to be used in constructing roads throughout that state. This money is to be prorated among all of the counties in the state and each will (receive its propojttionate benefit The method of financing >road building operations by a direct tax for this purpose is fast finding favor. This method gives a certain specified sum avail- able each year and one year with another and in many communities it is looked upon with much greater favor than the issuing of bonds or any other system of financing the building of good roads. Agriculture. 153 CHAPTER 13. AGRICULTURE Back to the Farm Movement. The tremendous increase in the population in the cities in comparison to the population increase of the rural districts during the past decade, as shown by the census of 1910; has given the people of the country a very good reason for partially accounting for the increased cost of living. The census of 190Q| showed that the percentage of the people living in the city was 33 1-3 percent of all inhabitants, while the 1910 census shows that this percentage has been increased to 46 percent. The deduction is that great numbers of people are leaving the farms for — to them — the more attractive pursuits and professions in the city. To stem the tide, the back to the farm movement has been inaugurated and where a few years ago only a paucity of effort to assist the farmer and to make his profession more agreeable and profitable, today there is a tremend- ous power at -work throughout the nation to turn the stream of moving human- ity back to agricultural pursuits. Never before has there been the attention paid to every phase of farm life as there is today with the inevitable result that the tide is being slowly turned, and the farm, formerly held so unattrac- tive by the youth, is made to appear as his salvation, and he is entering the splendidly equipped agricultural colleges for the purpose of learning the science of agriculture. And never was a better work done than when the young man was lately taught that farming was a business and a science, in which, to obtain success, one had to master the principles, and that suc- cess could not be attained by working in the slipshop, hit-or-miss style prevalent until the immediate present. The business interests of the various cities have awakened to the necessity of stimulating greater agricultural activity and through their commercial organi- zations are co-operating with the Department of Agriculture, the Experiment Stations and Agricultural Colleges of various states and all other agencies for the purpose of disseminating- needful knowledge among the farmers and in every way to increase their efficiency. The great railroads have entered into the work with a zeal that is born of the knowledge that increased earnings on their properties depend solely upon the number and success of the people living in the territory tributary to their lines. For example, the Southern Railway is organizing throughout the territory it traverses live stock associations to stimulate progress along the line of raising and breeding better and finer stock and for the protection of the members of the association in other directions. Auction sales and exhibits of live stock and all farm products are encouraged. Farm demonstration trains are operated with the idea that if the farmer cannot or will not go to the school, the school will be taken to him. The Texas Commercial Secretaries Association carries on work of similar character. This association urges the commercial organizations throughout the state to do all in their power to stimulate increased production from the farm- ers, to hold exhibits of poultry and live stock. Many of the towns hold monthly 154 City Building. exhibits. There are thirty-4wo county fairs held every fall in which more than $200^000 is given away in premiums. The Department of Agriculture is today doing more than distribat«3 garden and farm seeds. The various divisions or bureaus of the Deipartment have finally become appreciated and, consequently, have their hands full supply- ing the demand upon them for information, instruction and demonstrators. Besides this, the Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization of Department of Commerce and Labor has been called into service in the back to the farm movement and is meeting with increased success in its efiForts to steer the great armies of immigrants to the unoccupied lands in the rural districts, thereby relieving in large measure the burden of the cities In caring for the un- employed. It is the duty of the business interests of the country to bestir themselves to even greater activity in their support of the profession of agriculture. It is a sad fact that the great majority of cities which, through their commercial organizations are stretching their resources to the limit in the mad scramble for factories, pay very little attention, if any, to the necessity of keeping the surrounding rural territory up to as high a state of efficiency as the city. Agri- culture has always been and will forever continue to be the backbone of the country but it has been sadly neglected with the inevitable result that produc- tion of farm products has not increased in proportion to the increase of popu- lation. Consequently, it is small wonder that farm products today command higher prices than ever before.^ The only solution for the problem is the in- creased production through intensive and rational farming methods. The solution is on its way as evidenced by the unquestioned support being given to the question of increased agricultural efficiency. The Southern Com- mercial Secretaries in their 1911 convention passed the following resolution which indicates in some measure the attention which this subject is receiving from the business minds of the country: "Fifth, that we endorse the idea of the employment of a special agricul- tural expert for every county in the South; that we commend the provision of the federal government, through the agricultural department, which offers not only a complete course in scientific agriculture but makes it possible for every county to have its own expert, devoting his whole time to that county's improve- ment, that we call on the legislature of all the states in the South, not ndfw having such a law, to immediately authorize county courts to appropriate from the funds of the county a sufficient amount of money which, together with the allowance from the federal government, will enable each county to have its own agricultural expert under present federal provisions and plan.** Agriculture. 155 II The Municipal Market So many cities have established municipal markets with such success that the subject has become a vital one for consideration by every city. Especially is this true in the face r>f the tremendously increased cost of living, as it is claimed for the municipal market that it has done much wherever established to decrease the cost of garden produce. General method of conducting the market is under supervision of the city, either in open squares, under sheds or on the interior of great build- ings used exclusively for this purpose. Where the market is conducted in the open squares it is usually run only during the summer months, while in the buildings the market is open the year around. There are exceedingly few cases where the municipal market has been established that it has been discontinued for want of support or for other reasons of Inefficiency. In Omaha, a mar- ket was established in the center of the city which was afterward torn down and the street on which it was built thrown open again as a thoroughfare. Some of the enemies of the market point- to this instance in support of their argument that the market is not good. But while it is true that that particular market was abandoned, another has been established in the wholesale and com- mission district which serves the same purpose as the former one was intended to serve. Owing to the success of the municipal market in DesMoines, Iowa, prices on edibles have been reduced from twenty to fifty per cent and a new market is to be built at a cost of $50,000. In stating some of the benefits of this market, a DesMoines man says: "In the market the producer and the consumer come face to face. The man who grew the sweet corn places it in the hands of the housewife who is to serve it on her table. The middleman who used to take their toll on those dozen ears of corn are minus their old profits, but the farmer gets a little more and the housewife pays a little less." Most of the cities which conduct municipal markets realize a revenue from them in rents and licenses. Buffalo conducts four markets, located in different sections of the city. They are all under one superintendent who is paid a salary of $2,200. The rentals and fees were fixed by the Common Council, with the approval of the Mayor. The stall and booth tenants are required to take out a yearly lease, and rents are paid to the City Treasurer in four quarterly pay- ments in advance. The farmers, market gardeners and hucksters pay a daily fee, a single wagon paying 15 cents and a team 25 cents. The fee is collected by the superintendent or his assistants; who in turn issue a certificate showing that the fee has been paid. The revenues of the markets for the last fiscal year totaled $60,138.64. In Rochester, N. Y., the public market has been in operation for seven years and is located in an open square and was provided at a cost of $200,000, It is generally patronized by all classes of people and is a large factor in re- ducing the cost of garden truck to the consumer. It is considered a great suc- cess by the citizens generally and has already become too small. Plans are now under way for the extension of the plan very materially. 156 City Building. In Cincinnati, some of the butchers and florists are quartered inside the market house. Other markets are held In open squares In various parts of the city. Farmers pay no license but produce men pay $15 per year for the privilege of selling in the municipal markets. The markets are under the con- trol of a Chief Market Master and his assistants, who give their entire time to the work of supervision. These markets are patronized by all classes of people, and reduce very materially the cost of garden truck, etc., to the consumer. The system is con- sidered a success, not only by the city ,but also by citizens generally. They are of especial benefit to the people who are paid on Saturday and go to market on Saturday evening. Where a city wishes to. establish a municipal market, one of the best methods is to secure the right to open one in some open space or plot of ground as near to the center of the city as practical. There is hardly a question but what any movement looking to the establishment of a municipal market in any city which does not already possess one will meet with the bitter opposition of the middlemen, or produce commission merchants and the grocers, who see in the establishment of such an enterprise the dwindling of a large portion of their profits. The consent of the Mayor to use city owned ground can in nearly any case be secured. This accomplished, the next step is to secure as many truck farm- ers as possible to agree to bring their produce to this square on certain days during the week and during certain hours. These days and hours are then advertised through the medium of 4he local newspapers and by other means, until the housewives have become familiar with the dates. The patrons will visit the square and make their purchases direct from the producers, who sell at an increase in price over what they would get from the commission man and yet at a lower price than that charged by the grocer or middleman. If the consent to use a vacant plot of ground is secured and the market is opened in the manner described above, the establishment of a permanent mu- nicipal market will then tak« care of itself. The demand for it will be of such a character that it will be inevitably supplied. Besides it will not seriously injure the commission man, who buys the overplus and either sells it to those people who do not come to the market or else ships it to other markets. .< Agriculture. 157 . Ill Special Publicity There is no vocation or industry which demands publicity like the business of agriculture; nor is there any business which is so susceptible of exploitation through advertising as agriculture. Many of the cities and rural communities have recognized this fact and have begun campaigns of publicity for the pur- pose of building up the rural districts which already are yielding large returns. The mediums through which this publicity can be given are almost innumer- able and their use depends solely upon the ingenuity of the person under whose care the campaign is prosecuted. There are however some suggestions which are available to every community and which are outlined below. One of the first requisitjes for a successful campaign is to know the sub- ject. Systematic study of agricultural conditions of a conmiuiiity should be made before exploitation is begun. There is no community but what has some salient features which may not be known but which can be discovered with little trouble. Climatic conditions may show that certain kinds of produce can be grown better in one community than in another. The character of the soil is also a large factor In determining the kind of crops which will be most success- ful, or remunerative. The states, practically all of them, maintain Experiment Stations and farms where all kinds of crops are tried out under normal conditions existing in the state and where soil analyses are made to understand the character of different soils of the state. Therefore the use of the Experiment Station is advisable for ascertaining much needful information about the agricultural advantages of any community. The Department of Agriculture at Washington is also another prolific source of desirable information of similar nature. This Department maintains various bureaus for the purpose of supplying such information and their assist- ance can be readily secured. A little study of local conditions will probably bring to light some particu- lar farmer or class of farmers who have made a specialty of some one crop, for instance, strawberries. An interview with such men will show that this crop, or some other, has been unusually profitable in comparison to other crops. There has been many a truck section built up in just this way. The peanut in- dustry of Norfolk, Virginia, had its beginning in a small way and today the annual revenue to that section of country from this crop alone is $9,000,00(1 The bean industry of Michigan had a similar start and today practically every- one in this country eats Michigan beans. ^ The western section of this country presents one of the best examples of what can be done through the medium of publicity for the upbuilding of the agricultural communities. A few years ago practically every force in the far west was brought together into a tremendous boosting campaign to exploit the agricultural resources of that section. These forces worked individually but in large measure the result of the individual action was a concerted campaign of publicity. 158 City Building. The railroads • worked with the towns located on their lines not only to issue handsome, illustrated booklets, giving facts and figures concerning the agricultural possibilities of the respective communities, but some of them went so far as to issue regularly first-class magazii^es exploiting such subjects and life in the west in general. All of the railroads had their own individual book- lets and folders. Besides this, the towns and individual real estate concerns in the towns maintained strong advertising campaigns in eastern newspapers and periodicals for the purpose of securing inquirers upon whom every effort was used to turn them into settlers. One of the great results of this campaign was to be seen in the 1910 census report, which showed that the western section of this country increased fifty-one and a half percent while the eastern section of the country increased only seventeen per cent in population. Another similar campaign is now being conducted in various parts of Canada, with the result that many thousands of settlers are being attracted from this country to that every year. Every legitimate means of publicity is being used to exploit that country. Pages upon pages of newspaper stories and display advertisements are being used. Personal representatives are being sent broadcast throughout the states to meet and talk with the farmers in person to induce them to locate on these lands. Other sections of this country are giving valuable publicity to their com- munities. Oklahoma recently sent out a fully equiped train, which was really a full-fledged exposition of the resources and advantages of that state on wheels. This train would stop in a city and purchase large advertising space in the local papers for the purpose of letting the people of that community know of the train, all of whom were given a cordial invitation to visit the exhibit. This campaign has resulted in the location of many hundreds of families in the state of Oklahoma. The use of fairs, live stock shows, poultry exhibits and agricultural expo- sitions are splendid means of giving valuable publicity to the resources of a community. The use of the news bureau is advisable for syndicating articles over the country. The stereopticon and moving picture machine is effectively used by a number of organizations. Personal letter campaigns and co-operative work with the agricultural agents of the railroads also give excellent oppor- tunities for publicity. In the large ports of the country there are great concerns known as coloni- zation agents, whose business it is to select locations for great numbers of fam- ilies of immigrants who desire to engage in agricultural pursuits. Consequently many communities have been paid many times over for their trouble in interest- ing these agents to locate these families in these particular communities. The Department of Commerce and Labor through its Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization is also engaged in colonizing these immigrants in the effort to relieve the large cities of the burden of caring for the unemployed. Agriculture. 159 IV How to Organize a Growers Association A Grower's Association is a company of men producing any of the agricul- tural products who band themselves into a co-operative movement for the pur- pose of selling those products for the highest prices and to the best advantages. Such organizations have been in existence for a number of years in different sections of the country and through their medium tremendous crops of certain character are marketed at a great saving in expense and at fair prices. The great value of the associations is not so much in the increase in price secured by such a method of handling the product as it is in the saving of expanse of handling the product. Under the association method these products are handled in such a manner as to require the minimum of labor. The usual method adopted can be best shown by a concrete example of the operations of one of them. The Payette Valley Fruit Grower's Association is no different in the essentials from the many others in other sections of the country. The fruit growers of the Payette Valley in Idaho organized a num- ber of years ago an association for the purpose of marketing the melon crop. A meeting of these growers was called and all the producers were requested to be present. At the meeting it was shown that in order to reach the markets where the best prices were to be had it would be necessary for several growers to combine their shipments to make a carload lot and thus obtain a greatly re- duced freight rate. The system of the Rocky Ford (Colorado) Melon Grower's Association was given as the reason why that community was able to sell in the distant market and to maintain prices because of the high reputation of the melons which were produced and maintained by a thoroughly organized campaign of publicity. It did not require much urging to secure the signatures of the Payette Val- ley growers to an agreement to enter such an association. A constitution was adopted which prescribed the form and purpose of the organization. The affairs of the association were placed in the hands of a board of directors for control. This board selected one man to act in the capacity of manager, to have general charge and supervision of the handling of the crop, the packing, shipping and selling of the melons. When the melons were ripe, the growers brought in their product to the one packing house, where they were packed in cases by experienced persons in the most acceptable and attractive manner ready for shipment to the market. Because of the combined receipts from many growers every day, a carload shipment was ready for market every day. Before this stage of the process, however, the manager had been sent into the large commission markets and had arranged for the distribution of the melons. What outright orders or sales he could secure he sold but the great bulk of the crop, as is usual, was consigned to the commission merchants who in turn sold the melons on commission to the dealers in various parts of the country. When a grower delivered any melons to the packing house, he was given a receipt showing amount and grade of his delivery. These receipts the grower retained for settlement when the melons were paid for. In making this settle- 160 City Building. ment the grower received the cash paid for the grades of melons according to his share less his pro rata share of the expenses of packing, shipping, selling and all other charges of conducting the association business, such as manager's salary, office and traveling expenses and all other items of cost. The result of the first year's season was so satisfactory that a permanent association was formed and the scope of operations were so enlarged as to embrace all kinds of fruits — such as apples, pears, peaches, prunes, strawberries, raspberries and many kinds of vegetables. In the course of a few seasons it was found advisable to establish in connection with this organization a canning .plant where the surplus stock could be preserved and canned and sold in the canned goods market with the result that these growers were not forced to close out their holdings of fresh product on a low market, but by can- ning were enabled to hold this surplus for better prices in the market for canned goods. Many of the associations not only employ this co-operative method of putting their crops on the market, but go farther and use the association or- ganization to do their advertising. An association trade mark and standard of their goods are established The association maintains this standard by a rigid guarantee of satisfaction to its customers and spends large sums of money in a national advertising campaign of the trade mark and quality of goods sold under the trade marlc GSssentially the same plan is being adopted in various sections of the country for selling not only truck products and fruit, but also many other products of the farmers. For example, in Paris, Texas, central selling agencies are established for the marketing of meats as well as truck. Most any community can establish such associations with benefit to itself. Many communities find the plan to be one of the strongest stimuli available for the upbuilding of some particular agricultural product which the commu- nity can produce in great quantities but which has not been pushed because of disadvantageous location or for any other reason. It is the old proposition that in numbers there is power. Agriculture. 161 V The Improvement of Present Day Farm Life Over Old Days A condition which is largely responsible for the turning of the tide of im- migration from the city back to the farm is the improvements in farm life which have come only recently. One of the most remarkable developments in the entire category of American progress is that of farm life. From all indi- cations this development has only just begun and the next decade will show fully as great a revolution in this great department of American life as has been accomplished in the past ten years where the progress made has shown at least one hundred per cent increase in efficiency. There are few who have attained their majority but who can easily re- call the days when a trip to the cotmtry was almost as laborious as a present day journey from coast to coast. A trip to the farm in those days meant "roughing it." It meant a shutting of oneself off from communication with the outside world. The farmer in those days made periodic trips to town for sup- plies and to learn the news. The country paper with news a week old was his principal medium of keeping track of politics and general news. His life was one continual round of routine. He accomplished results by means of brawn and sinew rather than through the scientific application of principles. His children were fortunate if they had a six months' winter school where one teacher taught all grades and classes from the highest to the lowest and where more attention seemed to be paid by this same teacher to his record olf whippings administered rather than the number and quality of educated chil- dren he could turn out. It is small wonder that the boy and girl raised undek such conditions and had had a taste of city life when they were able to visit their city cousins should long for an easier life and consequently seek a clerk- ship in the town store or office. But such conditions have changed until today the life on the farm in most every section of this country has almost attained the ideal. The United States government is in large measure responsible for this change. The Department of Agriculture has long since recognized that agriculture is the backbone of this country's prosperity and when the increase In population showed the cities were gaining upon the rural districts at an alarming rate immediate steps were taken to stem this tide and turn it back. One of the great drawbacks was recognized in the lack of convenience. Another was that the pursuits of city people yielded a greater profit to those engaged in them than the farming did to the farmers. Consequently, a broad and comprehensive campaign of education was begun which was constantly made stronger and broader until today the Department is carrying on a work which Is the pride of the country and the envy of the nations. The cities were shown that it was to their advantage to increase agricul- tural efficiency because of the certainty of increased wealth. The farmer was shown how he could with little trouble have for himself most of the city's con- veniences. Experts were sent direct to the farmers and showed them how by attention to principles and with less effort a greatly increased yield in products could be made. The states took up the fight and have established agricultural 162 City Building. colleges where the young farmers can be educated in the science of agri- culture. The result of this work has caused the awakening of America, of her peo- ple in every walk of life to the importance of agriculture and development is the watchword throughout every section of the land. The farmer today is in as close touch with the grain, produce aha mdat market quotations as the banker in his private office because of the telephone. The farmer can visit the city almost any hour of the day by the interurban and because of the improvement of the roads he can haul twice as much of his produce to market as formerly and at less expense and loss of time. By reason of the rural free delivery, he receives his mail every day just thel same as though he lived in the country. With the going into effect of the parcels post law, his wife can order from the dry goods merchant a new dress and have it delivered as soon as if she were living in the city. His children go to school in a modern building heated by steam, well ven- tilated and lighted. The neighborhood also has a high school as well equipped as those in the city. The teachers are as well adapted to give instruction as those in the city. In bad weather, the small children are taken to the school and returned home in large omnibuses, and altogether the school system in the neighborhood is on a par with the city system. The farmer installs a gas engine which generates sufficient electricity to light his entire farm and to run his machinery, the feed cutters, the chums, and so forth, besides pumping water into the high reservoir tank to give an adequate supply for the baths in his home and water in all other buildings where it is needed. Because the farmer is now farming scientifically, he is getting greater in- creased yield per acre of land than he did formerly and of a better quality, therefore commanding a higher price. This gives him more money with the result that he now owns his automobile. Every summer or winter he can take his family on a pleasure trip to some resort without putting a mortgage on his farm. Instead of his paying interest on borrowed money he is drawing interest on money loaned out. Instead of his making a hand of himself, he has learned that it is money to him to direct the work of others. The present day farmer is an example of prosperity. Agriculture. 163 VI Colonization Method of Upbuilding Farming Communities Many communities in the United States and also in Canada have made a remarkable success in upbuilding the rural districts and agricultural sections through the colonization method of locating farmers upon idle or abandoned farms. Various methods are in use but one of the most successful is that which has been adopted by the Canadian Government Through this method more than one hundred thousand American farmers are annually migrating to Canada and engaging in agricultural pursuits. The Canadian system of exploitation of agricultural opportunities of its western portion is conceded to be one of the best, if not the best, in vogue today. The railroads, the banks, the business interests, and in fact, all of the various interests in the Dominion work co-operatively with the sole idea in view of increasing the population of the Dominion with a class of people of which that country or any other may well be proud. The principal thing in the Canadian method is the publicity campaign. The agricultural opportunities of the Dominion are presented in more than 7,0001 American newspapers. Colonization agents are maintained with efficient office force in sixteen American middle west cities. Special exhibits are carried throughout the United States and shown wherever opportunity presents itself at county and state fairs and at other exhibitions of like character. The use of the stereopticon and motion picture machines is extensive; personal letters are used, but the main object of all the publicity is to secure inquiries whicH are followed up wherever possible with personal interviews of representatives of the colonization agencies. ,.,> The European immigration is selected and is not promiscuous a^ is the case in the United States. Four fifths of the Canadian immigration in the fiscal year of 1910 and 1911 came from the United States, the British. Isles, and the Scandinavian countries. There was hardly a sprinkling of southern apd south- eastern Europeans, whereas in the same year, of the .900,000 immigrants which came to th-e United States, more than 200,006 were Italians. The Canadian government takes care of these immigrants from the time they enter the country until they are located in their new homes. Able bodied men without capital are given work to do, but special efforts are exerted to secure people with a small amount of capital. The railroads which own tremendous land grants in the western part of Canada have in a great many places cut up these lands into quarter section and half section tracts, put fences around them, built temporary farm houses and barns. These lands are sold to the immigrants at a slight increase in price over the price for unimproved lands. The railroads also make exceedingly low transportation rates for this class of traffic, the present tariff being one cent per mile. The immigrants are submitted to three inspections by thoroughly compe- tent inspectors and it is exceedingly difficult for an "undesirable" to secure a residence in the Dominion. A colonization plan which has been tried out with success in some parts of the United States may be outlined as follows: A company of enterprising 164 City Building. citizens is formed into a stock company with sufficient capital to purchase a large tract of unoccupied or idle land in the vicinity. This land is cut up into 20 and 40 acre tracts and improvements are made according to the amount of capital which the company has to invest in this manner. The purpose of the company is to secure the location upon these lands truck farmers, or farmers who will devote their time and attention to intensive culti- vation of these farms of small acreage. The method adopted to get in touch with probable settlers is usually through the Bureau of Immigration. In the large seaport cities of this country there have sprung up a large number <|f colonization agencies whose business it is to secure locations for the great armies of immigrants annually coming into this country. This stock company above spoken of sends a representative probably to New York who immediately gets in touch with not only the Bureau of Immigration, but also the coloniza- tion agents. It is always the purpose of this agent to pick his settlers and the usual pick is immigrants from the countries of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Holland, Den- mark, Germany and the British Isles. The inducements of the stock company are presented to the Bureau of Immigration and to the colonization agents and every effort is made to induce them to send settlers to these lands. 'When settlers arrive they are located upon these small farms. If they have capital so much the better. If they are without capital, then the stock company furnishes them with a sufficient amount of money to purchase their implements and live stock. This money of course is loaned to them and a reasonable rate of interest is charged on such loans. These settlers pay for their farms usually in ten annual installments with a reasonable rate of interest on the deferred payments. The above outline,as before 8tated,has been successfully operated in a number of different communities with the result that a new industry has been created and with a further result that the additional population through their thrift, enterprise and industry has awakened a progressive spirit among the native people and has caused these home people to bestir themselves. Con- sequently, a sleepy community has been awakened into one of thrift and progress. Colonization agents above spoken of are looking for choice opportunities for locating their clients. The writer has known of some instances where loca- tions were desired for as many as five hundred German families in one com- pany who desired to purchase outright their farms, a number almost sufficient to make a thriving community by itself. I The example of the Canadian government can be followed to great ad van- 'I tage by the people of the United States and it is upon the successes of the I colonization development of the United States that the further welfare of this "' country depends. I WuhM 3 20 "" 317 603 DATE DUE